Most physicists operate on the assumption that there is a world completely independent of us, an objective reality in which more or less well-defined things behave according to immutable physical laws. But over the past century, since the development of quantum theory, confusing questions have arisen about the role of observers (particularly ourselves) in the creation of reality.
These questions are often hidden, but Daniele OritiThe theorist at Madrid's Complutense University prefers to confront them. Perhaps he was encouraged to do so by working on one of the most important challenges in modern physics: creating a quantum theory of gravity. The difficulty here is reconciling the essentially smooth picture of space-time in general relativity with the contradictory mathematical language of quantum theory. Bringing the two together has led Ority to think deeply about the subtleties of the laws of physics. In particular, I also had to think deeply about the fact that space and time are unstable foundations on which to build them. What is his verdict? The laws of physics cannot exist independently of us as something we can all agree on, but somehow exist within us.
Oriti spoke. new scientist How he came to such a surprising conclusion, why physicists need to be more aware of the complex relationships between the world, scientific models, and observers, and the nature of the laws of physics. How understanding can lead to new breakthroughs.
Thomas Luton: What do people misunderstand about the nature of reality?
Daniele Oriti: At the risk of…
Source: www.newscientist.com
