There is an experiment that seems to show that the past
can be changed by something called a “quantum eraser.”
While that claim goes too far, the principle of quantum
entanglement, used in the experiment, is just as weird. Here is a video that takes this complex topic
and makes it so clear that even I can understand parts of it. Almost.
The lesson here is that, those of us who assert Consciousness as
a fundamental principle of reality, need to be careful in how we interpret
evidence, and how we evaluate extraordinary claims. The internet and bookstores are fraught with
wild claims that sound good at first, but break down under further scrutiny.
Reality is weird enough without leprechauns. Leprechauns are mischievous, mythical creatures that
mislead the conversation. Let’s not
invoke them.
Also, let’s not forget that physicalists correctly point out
that physical reality appears to be physical. Accepting that Mind@Large, or the Cosmic
Consciousness, or (my favorite), God, supersedes the physical, it is
nevertheless true that whatever gives rise to the apparent reality of the
physical, does so for a reason. It’s not
a trick to deceive us. Contrary to what
some of my Christian friends assert, God did not plant dinosaur fossils in the
earth to test our faith.
We should not be astonished (or disappointed) then, that
physical experiments conducted by physicalist physicists (a play on words
there) conclude that there are physical explanations for quantum events.
Past, present and future have mystified the great minds of
philosophy for thousands of years, and just as much, they mystify present-day
scientists. Accepted physical theories
do not account for the “arrow of time.”
Physics does not prefer events flowing from past to future, no more so
than from future to past.
An intriguing idea is that all of time, past and future
alike, is a single thing, and moreover, that the various “locations” in time
are all interacting with each other in a continuous feedback loop. What this idea suggests is that both past and
future can be changed, and indeed, are changing each other all the “time.”
Consciousness does play a fundamental role, but the "quantum observer" is not consciousness itself. Consciousness overarches physical reality. It is not produced by that which it perceives.
Here is another video that explores
the idea (among others) of a universal feedback loop of time and consciousness. Again, I do not pretend to agree with (or even understand) all of it, but it does provide food for thought.
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