What is Reality? – Part 2 (Measurement and Reality)
If something can be measured, whether directly or indirectly, is it real? According to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, if energy has to be added to or taken from a system to implement the measuring process, as is generally the case, then this energy causes a change in the variable that is to be measured so that the value of the variable is no longer what it was before the attempt was made to measure it. In other words, the measuring process itself generally introduces an error into the measurement. For the measurement of macroscopic values, the energy change due to the measuring process is negligible and the error may be ignored. However, for the measurement of microscopic values, the Uncertainty Principle becomes critical and a substantial error may be introduced into the measurement.For example, suppose we wish to measure the position of an electron. Consider a microscope powerful enough to make an electron detectable to the human eye. To perform the measurement, it is necessary to illuminate the electron with an intense source of light. Because of the extremely minute mass of the electron, the energy imparted by the source of light is of sufficient magnitude to cause a noticeable displacement in the electron's position, so that it would no longer be in the position in which it was prior to the illumination; nevertheless, such illumination is necessary for the measuring process. This same effect occurs in all measuring processes in which energy is added to or taken from a system as is generally the case.
Thus, it seems that even the ability of measurement to define reality is questionable since the very act of measurement itself generally introduces an error, human or otherwise, into the measurement to be made.
Comments (21)
thats a lot to think about, just want to say Happy New Year!
and to Marlin too!
you put questions and opinions very close to reality......and the very fact is,that all what we can measure,with the knowledge we have now,is just the drop in the ocean of all what is real......or should I put it in an other way,ordinary life is only a drop in the ocean of non ordinary life.
Same applies I think Socrates the reality of anything is what we personally feel or see at any given moment.
the problem is, that there is not only one Reality.......adding to ordinary Reality,what Socrates is talking about here,there is also at least 2 other Realities and they are Non Ordinary Reality and Superior Reality and as a boundary between them is a Fire Wall.
In this part, Part 2, this claim is examined. The focus is on measurement and reality in the natural sciences – physics, etc., which deal with the physical world.
“Reality involves things we feel but cannot see...”
I take it that in your reference to feeling, you focus is on a direct insight or intuition, and certainly not human emotion in the typical sense.
“...and things we see that are not real.”
Is this like looking at an image of yourself in the mirror?
Can we say that the image is not real?
Science can explain how it comes about.
“Since they are measuring reality that one cannot see with just their eyes, i cannot help but think we cannot see what is real.”
To my knowledge, Science attempts to measure both things that we cannot see with our eyes, through the use of specialised instruments which can detect such things, and also things that we can see with our eyes.
Nice to hear from you.
All the best to you for 2019 also.
Good question!
Perhaps Stringman can give you an answer.
String ????
The natural sciences are normally viewed as being an exact study of what is real, or reality, as much as possible. Measurement is a part of such a study.
“Yes Socrates I remember reading about measurement being taken when someone died just to see if soul weighed anything.”
Very interesting!
What was the outcome of the measurement?
Hope you made that point in Harbal's blog about whether or not we have a soul.
“Reality is something that most don't like to face and speak lengthy nonsense to make it sound more complicated than it is...the nonsense I mean...”
Strangely enough, I found the following definition in Collins English Dictionary.
“The reality of a situation is the truth about it, especially when it is unpleasant or difficult to deal with.”
daniela
Thanks for your input.
The question re other perspectives of reality will be raised in a later blog.
I think there research ended with my idea