Wavefunction Collapse and Dreams

[Ostronomos]

There seems to be a link between the "external world" of perception and the internal world of dreams. The reason is unclear. It appears that the brain can become entangled with its environment and when perception is turned inwardly into the world of dreams that link is not severed. This explains why the events in a dream can affect the events in the "external world". For example, when you feel a force in your dream it can be felt by your sleeping body.

[Ostronomos]

Actually, it does because Planck's constant is *small*. And entanglement, along with other quantum effects, are determined by the size of that constant.

In particular, entanglement is an incredibly difficult state to maintain. it usually takes temperatures close to absolute zero and minimal interaction with an external environment. Neither of those conditions is found in the living brain.

Your science only applies to the waking world.

Even though the size of Plank's constant is so small that it makes Quantum effects negligible for a massive object, the Quantum world still applies. It can be maintained when materialism is in question.

Remember, reality only appears to be space, time and object. This triality is a meager imitation of ultimate reality.

You are correct that it takes minimal interaction with an external environment to maintain. Hence dreams.

How much 'reality' to give the wave function is a matter of debate.

It is far more fundamental than the space, time and object that we see around us in the waking world.

There are certainly some aspects that can be observed using 'weak measurements'. There are also some experimental results that seem to point to needing to say the wave function is 'actually real'. Some care is needed, though, because terminology can be an issue (what does it mean to be 'real'?)

The wavefunction is the reason why mere thought can influence the probability of an event occurring in the supernatural dimension.

And no, particles DO NOT act differently depending on whether they are observed or not. They act differently depending on whether they *interact* with other things in their environment.

Yes. Media physicists often use the term "observed" to mean interact.

For example, in the classical double slit experiment, the interference pattern disappears when the electrons going through the slits interact with photons that give 'which slit' information. If the wavelength of the photons is too large to give such information, the interference pattern returns. No conscious observer is required to collect the information showing the 'quantum strangeness': only photon or electron detectors.

And, to *detect* anything requires *interaction*, which changes behavior.

I take issue with your dismissal of consciousness as having a role. Many real physicists would beg to differ. You are defensive of your materialism aren't you?

For example, in the classical double slit experiment, the interference pattern disappears when the electrons going through the slits interact with photons that give 'which slit' information. If the wavelength of the photons is too large to give such information, the interference pattern returns. No conscious observer is required to collect the information showing the 'quantum strangeness': only photon or electron detectors.

[QUOTE="Polymath257, post: 7190008, member: 61896"]
Again, not quite. The pre-collapse wave function need not have 'infinite possibility'. In fact, quite often it has only one or two possibilities. Once a 'permanent' record of a state is made (by an interaction), there are two *equivalent* ways to look at things: one has the wave function continuing after being modified by the interaction.

YES!

Thank you!

For the full thread go to: https://www.religiousforums.com/threads/...ms.246115/