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The Way of the Explorer
in space-time, and that particles each “know” what the other is doing, is
even more problematic. In any event, the experiment conclusively demonstrated
that matter and information have attributes that remain correlated
nonlocally. It’s this mysterious nonlocality that brings new insight into
a number of problems, including those of many enigmatic, subjective
attributes of consciousness. This paradox also demonstrated that the methods
of science are sufficiently powerful to uncover the flawed assumptions in
the Newtonian and Cartesian thought structures.
Because the rules of quantum theory are supposed to apply to all matter,
not just subatomic matter, by extension of this ubiquitous, interconnected
“resonance,” it suggests that all nature is in some sense wavelike, “fieldlike,”
and “mindlike,” in a way that isn’t yet fully understood. The experimental
results imply analogies to the silly superstitions of some medieval (and
modern) mystics, and are somewhat akin to the Platonic idea of the real,
unmanifest world as made up of ideas and perfect form. Resonance and
nonlocality are fundamental clues to all psychic functioning, and are attributes
of the newly discovered quantum hologram, which is discussed in a
subsequent chapter.
The second major paradox arising early in the history of quantum theory
still hasn’t been answered to the satisfaction of most physicists. It’s another
thought experiment called the Schrödinger’s Cat Paradox. Erwin
Schrödinger formulated the wave equation that bears his name, and the
paradox derives from use of the wave equation. The experiment is especially
relevant to our understanding of consciousness, as it arises directly
from the entanglement of existence and knowing; from confusing the map
with the territory.
By following the Einstein-Bohr procedure of minutely dissecting
thought experiments, one can reveal hidden traps in the vast labyrinth
that produced this paradox. The traps all have to do with how we organize
information in our mind/brain and give it meaning, and the subtle dividing
line between internal and external events. Because the Schrödinger
wave equation allows one to compute the probable values of something’s
attributes (generally referred to as its state), this thought experiment concerns
the state of a cat. It’s a peculiar imaginary situation, but one that’s
immensely important.
Suppose a cat is placed in a box that contains a radioactive substance,
a flask of poison, and a trigger mechanism. This odd collection is arranged
in such a way that the radioactive decay of the substance creates a 50/50
probability that the vial of poison is broken, and if it is, the cat is instantly
killed. Particles do not emerge from decaying radioactive materials on a
uniform time scale, but randomly, and such that half of the total emitted
particles will escape in a period called the half-life of the radioactive substance.
Half of the remaining half will escape in the second half-life interval,