The physicist inside the ambiguous room: an argument against the need of consciousness in the quantum mechanical measurement process
C. Roselli
Foundations of physics May 5, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s10701-022-00563-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that a modified thought experiment, "PIAR" (Physicist Inside the Ambiguous Room), in which the experimenter is enclosed in a sealed room, logically undermines the hypothesis that human consciousness is necessary in quantum measurement, and contends that its supporters must instead adopt an interpretation with a mind-independent real world in which observers play no special role. |
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to invalidate the hypothesis that human consciousness is necessary in the quantum measurement process. In order to achieve this target, I propose a considerable modification of the Schrödinger’s cat and the Dead-Alive Physicist thought experiments, called “PIAR”, short for “Physicist Inside the Ambiguous Room”. A specific strategy has enabled me to plan the experiment in such a way as to logically justify the inconsistency of the above hypothesis and to oblige its supporters to rely on an alternative interpretation of quantum mechanics in which a real world of phenomena exists independently of our conscious mind and where observers play no special role. Moreover, the description of the measurement apparatus will be complete, in the sense that the experiment, given that it includes also the experimenter, will begin and end exclusively within a sealed room. Hence, my analysis will provide a logical explanation of the relationship between the observer and the objects of her/his experimental observation; this and a few other implications will be discussed in the fourth section and in the conclusions.