Quantum Mechanics and the Principle of Non-Contradiction (Aquinas 101)

Quantum Mechanics is weird and counterintuitive, but it is not contradictory. Fr. Davenport breaks down the famous "Schroedingers' Cat" thought experiment and shows that a traditional understanding of truth and falsity continues to hold in quantum mechanics and in reality as a whole.

Quantum Mechanics and the Principle of Non-Contradiction (Aquinas 101) - Fr. Thomas Davenport, O.P.

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This video was made possible through the support of grant #61944 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

[avb]

I'm a PhD candidate in engineering at Columbia and I also love physics!! I also love Catholic theology and am a practicing Catholic!! So any topic that combines reasoning, science, faith, engineering, and logic is super interesting to me

[kingofmaglos]

I became a catholic while studying physics at oxford because these fundamental questions of physics showed me the need for God to form a coherent world view of science

[journeyfiveonesix]

It's okay that quantum mechanics disproves the Principle of Non-Contradiction, because it also doesn't.

[eduardocavanagh]

Being a physicist, congratulations to my colleague the priest for the clarity of this presentation

[FrJohnBrownSJ]

Thomistic Institute killing it again. ;)

[mujihuz]

As an athiest, this is one of the few times in my life that not only I enjoyed listening to a prists, but I strongly agreed with him too.

[d.o.]

Schrödinger did NOT support that theory, he presented his thought experiment to show how absurd that superposition theory actually was.

[philosophyporch]

Or as I would say to my students in class "So, if your interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and Schrodinger's Cat is true, then it's also false, and now we agree."

[liraco_mx]

Finally, an explanation that makes sense. And short to boot.

[andsalomoni]

The presumed paradox only arises if we consider the "superposition of quantum states" a superposition of actual states, which they are not.
The only actual states that we get are the observed states, i.e. the states that we actually observe when we make a measurement.
A quantum superposition of states only occurs as a superpositon of not-yet-observed POTENTIAL states, and has no physical reality.
So the Schroedinger's Cat is not "dead and alive".
It is "potentially dead and potentially alive, but in an UNDETERMINED state until we observe it".
The actual state is created when we observe.

[alexandersupertramp]

Aquinas would argue that the cat has the potential to be dead or alive, but won't be realized in existence until actually observed. At least from the human perspective. Meaning things exist as they do whether we observe them or not. But in order to understand the world, we have to use models and concepts and frameworks like superposition. These are just acts of knowing the world. The object of knowledge remains the atom or cat in a particular state.

[markishedd]

It's an analysis of probabilities for what you can't measure. It can not be 100% both opposing states at the same time. Thank you for this video.

[juanperez]

This is great! It's the best explanation that I've seen of the Schrodinger's cat. Clear and to the point.
It was interesting to hear the different possible explanations. I had heard of two out of three of them, but in separate contexts. Hearing the three of them together makes them more understandable.
Love this!

[markoh]

One important detail: Schrödinger actually proposed this paradoxical thought experiment in order to critique some aspects of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.

[ianb]

The irony is that those who say that quantum mechanics requires us to deny the Law Of Logical Non-Contradiction are doing so on the basis that they falsely believe quantum mechanics to logically contradict it.

[annakareninacamara]

"Quantum mechanics is weird." Finally someone who starts a video about it being so honest; Many people try to say it's simple, or logic. But it's undeniably weird.

[johnkeck]

Excellent explanation of Schroedingers' Cat! I have to say I was expecting/hoping you would at least mention the actuality-potentiality distinction, which Aristotle invoked to overcome Parmenides's use of the principle non-contradiction. Perhaps something to explore in a future episode? Maybe you could also talk about the Thomistic work on QM you mentioned, if that's not too out of scope.

[danthompson]

Fantastic explanation, thank you for publishing these videos!!!

[GenXer]

I love this topic, because this is proof to scientists and materialists that “consciousness exists”, the fact that the “observer” matters…even the cat. It’s where science and metaphysics meet! Our material world around us is really a simulation created by God. Divine Providence!

[catholicdisciple]

This was great! I really appreciate the way you break it down and speak. Thank you :)