Oct 31, 2025 09:50 PM
https://www.quantamagazine.org/carlo-rov...y-20251029
EXCERPTS: A theoretical physicist affiliated with Aix-Marseille University, Carlo Rovelli studies how we perceive reality from our limited vantage point. His research is wide-ranging [...] he proposed a new “relational” interpretation of quantum mechanics, which goes so far as to suggest that there is no objective reality whatsoever, only perspectives on reality — be they a physicist’s or a pigeon’s.
[...] Rovelli’s own perspective on physics is heavily influenced by his rebellious, countercultural youth. ... Rovelli worked at a subversive left-wing radio station, drafted an illegal manifesto, and was later detained for refusing compulsory military service. Disillusioned by societal norms, “I had a sense that we were confused about how to think about reality around us,” he said. At 69, he remains politically engaged (and often enraged). “Part of me is still an old hippie.”
[...] To confront his own biases, whether about physics or society, Rovelli turns to philosophy. He often publishes on metaphysical topics ad advocates for more dialogue between the disciplines ... The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity...
[...] My intuition is that the overall flow of time really could be like the rotation of the sky every day. It’s a majestic, immense phenomenon, but it’s actually an illusion. This is a totally perspectival understanding of the second law of thermodynamics. It’s real in the same sense that the rotating sky is real, but it’s real only with respect to us... (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: A theoretical physicist affiliated with Aix-Marseille University, Carlo Rovelli studies how we perceive reality from our limited vantage point. His research is wide-ranging [...] he proposed a new “relational” interpretation of quantum mechanics, which goes so far as to suggest that there is no objective reality whatsoever, only perspectives on reality — be they a physicist’s or a pigeon’s.
[...] Rovelli’s own perspective on physics is heavily influenced by his rebellious, countercultural youth. ... Rovelli worked at a subversive left-wing radio station, drafted an illegal manifesto, and was later detained for refusing compulsory military service. Disillusioned by societal norms, “I had a sense that we were confused about how to think about reality around us,” he said. At 69, he remains politically engaged (and often enraged). “Part of me is still an old hippie.”
[...] To confront his own biases, whether about physics or society, Rovelli turns to philosophy. He often publishes on metaphysical topics ad advocates for more dialogue between the disciplines ... The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity...
[...] My intuition is that the overall flow of time really could be like the rotation of the sky every day. It’s a majestic, immense phenomenon, but it’s actually an illusion. This is a totally perspectival understanding of the second law of thermodynamics. It’s real in the same sense that the rotating sky is real, but it’s real only with respect to us... (MORE - details)