Whenever the lines of mentality and science begin to become stretched and blurred in any way, there is one form of science that always comes into the discussion. Quantum Physics, also known as quantum mechanics or quantum theory, is the epitome of the capabilities of the mind at far reaches of science. It questions science and pushes its borders to places where it has never been able to go before.
Even though it is often dismissed or questioned at best, quantum physics is actually a credible form of science with actual, physical backing. This field of science allows the world to bring to question the actual capabilities of the mind when nothing at all is behaving the way that it should. As you will learn, quantum physics is much more than science fiction, but it is nothing to be feared.
This article will tell you a little about the science of quantum physics and where metaphysics overlaps with this science. It can also give you a hint on where metaphysics may be headed as actual, new scientific proof is beginning to be created to back up the ideas that have been expressed in metaphysical teachings for the last century.
When you leave your house, is it still there? Most people commonly associate this question with the mention of quantum physics. That is probably the reason that this form of science is attributed to science fiction more than anything by those that haven’t studied it, even in some of the other branches of sciences.
What is Quantum Physics?
When you leave your house, is it still there? Most people commonly associate this question with the mention of quantum physics. That is probably the reason that this form of science is attributed to science fiction more than anything by those that haven’t studied it, even in some of the other branches of sciences.
Science in general has made a discovery that everything is made up of parts that constantly move. This movement has formed the basis of most of the studies and ideas relating to quantum physics. The movement is where the interest lies for the most part, and where most of the questions have been asked as well.
Quantum physics is a branch of physics that is dedicated to discovering and explaining what are commonly described as physical phenomena. There are many different levels that this branch of science can actually include. Of course, these physical phenomena can deal with the question of whether your house is actually there when you leave it, but it really is more than that.
The essence of quantum physics is that the ideas push the laws of science to new limits. They often go against what is commonly accepted as behavioral rules, even according to the regular laws of physics that are often accepted.
Of course, it is not to be assumed that the ideas of quantum physics necessarily come in direct opposition to the ideas of physics created by the greats such as Albert Einstein himself. In fact, the opposite is true. Even though Einstein himself was known to openly doubt the validity of quantum physics, the ideas actually merge over with theories of his, such as his incredibly famous theory of relativity.
Even though it is commonly believed that the theories of quantum physics go against the actual laws of science and ask questions that are not necessarily valid, this is not true. The ideas of quantum physics only question the actual laws of science with a “what if” sort of approach. And it is all backed up with more science, which makes it much more credible than even other fields of science are ready to completely accept.
Scientific Backing
Quantum physics, strange and confusing as it may be for people to actually understand, has valid backing in the field of science that has been proven time and time again with credible research and actual instances. And as technology develops, this becomes an easier and easier thing to do as well.
There is extensive mathematical proof that gives quantum physics its support. This mathematical research has time and time again proven one thing and one thing only: there is a certain level of science and math that things just don’t behave as they normally do the rest of the time.
According to minds such as Einstein and Newton, things always behave certain ways. But, they also have proven that everything is in constant movement. The lines begin to be blurred, though, when these things become very small and the movement is explored.
Particles behave a certain way most of the time. But, when they get incredibly small, they behave more like waves than particles, which is a fact that has continued to confound scientists time and time again. They have routinely accepted it as a phenomenon, but it has brought about quite a change in the thinking of scientists.
This change is called quantum physics. Quantum physics lives in this area where nothing behaves according to the common laws of science. Everything is explored in this area and the lines of science are blurred with the questions of reality and mentality.
History
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein lecturing in Vienna, 1921.
Photo: Ferdinand Schmutzer
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Quantum physics has been around a much longer time that most people would know. It is most commonly associated with new discoveries and incredibly microscopic particles that can only be seen with the newest of technologies. But, quantum physics has been in the minds of scientists for over a century.
The first ideas of quantum physics actually came about in the early 1900s. Of course, at this point, they were only ideas and they did not have much scientific background. But these ideas brought about enough interest within the next decade that scientists in increasing numbers became more and more curious about this interesting field of science.
In the 1920s, Werner Heisenberg, Max Born and Wolfgang Pauli, as well as some others all began to create more and more theories about quantum physics and test them. They began to discover the math that actually backs it all up and come up with increasing ideas and theories that would continue to be tested later and later in the development of this field of science.
By the 1930s, the field of quantum physics was actually a unified area of scientific study, which may come as a surprise considering the lack of technological advancements at this point in time. But still, formal ideas were being created. Paul Dirac and John Von Neumann helped to do this with their formal studies that explored the philosophical ideas about the role of the observer in the science. This is where the “if you leave” part of the story came into it all.
These years were only the early times in the area of quantum physics. In the 80 years since then, much has changed in the field of science and the technological capabilities have played a huge role in this.
Since this early time in quantum physics, the ideas have continued to branch out and become more solid. They have become backed up by increasing proof that there are times when the movement of particles isn’t always as it should be and everything should be questioned to the extremes at all times.
Today, there is more proof of the existence of quantum mechanics. Instruments have been proven that a particle’s movement at a certain size is more like a wave than an actual particle, which is known as wave-particle duality.
The measurements and unknown instances of these tiny particles have proven that even though the laws of science should always ring true, this is not at all always the case. In some areas, scientific laws are not upheld at all. These physical phenomena are now measured and recorded in quantum physics.
Even though many people still today attribute quantum physics to science fiction, it has been proven time and time again that this is not the case at all. Instead of science fiction, this is a credible field of science that, even though it lives at the boundaries of science, is actually backed up by increasing amounts of proof.
Quantum physics has brought about many questions of reality, perception, observation and the actual behavior of things. It has helped many other fields of science form as well that push the boundaries of what is commonly accepted as science.
Even though many people shudder at the thought of quantum physics, it definitely has a place in science, and that place is becoming increasingly solidified as technology develops and new scientific discoveries continue to be made.