Reality Mixture Of A And Not A

Physics Discussion Almost Concluded
June, ’80

"Just words referring to relations woven into one fabric,
interesting point,” Jade responded. "According to some physicists,
words do interfere with reality. For this group of physicists the wave function
is not an accurate representation of what's really going on `out there.'
Rather, they believe the wave function is an abstract creation whose
manipulation somehow yields the probabilities of real events that
happen in space and time. But that's only part of the story, and
perhaps a small part, too. In fact, the mathematician von Neumann,
the same guy who developed a mathematical proof rejecting the notion
of hidden variables in quantum mechanics, believed the problems
surrounding quantum phenomena had nothing to do with nature, but,
rather, they had everything to do with language. We impose, with our
symbolic thought processes, the categories of `either-or.' Language
does not allow a mixture of A and not A. The boundaries of discourse,
rather, are set by discriminating A from not A. Outside that boundary
nonsense rules. Where `separate parts' are not applicable, language
cannot go. Classical physics discriminates between A and not A,
therefore, moving particles and waves can be analyzed. A pictorial
description of nature is never a problem there. At the atomic level,
however, it is not possible to visualize or describe waves because
they are not there—they are purely mathematical constructs. Where
things are not things, the quantifiers of inside, outside, before,
after, between, and connected are not applicable, either. Where
language and logic do not apply, nothing more can be said."

"It seems that physicists," I replied, "at the quantum level at
least, find the same road block that the Eastern sages discovered long
ago. At that point, the language of neti neti, the language of not
this, not that--is all that's left. At that level, all investigations
end, at that level we are left with mere words that say nothing."

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite so negatively," Jade responded, "after
all, at that level, something else comes into play; that is, if you
are a sage--infinite wisdom and infinite creativity. Right?"

"Okay," I said, "then maybe we've come full circle. We've come back
to the endless transformation of energy that the yin, yang symbol
represents."

"For sure, Neil's Bohr would agree with that," Jade replied, "but I
think a little poetry is more appropriate here. After all, who better
to entrust a description of the indescribable then the poet! If my
memory holds, in some Upanishad it says, `He on whom the sky, the
earth, and the atmosphere are woven, and the wind, together with all
life-breaths, Him alone know as the one Soul.'"

"Yo! Fellows," Don shouted, "We're out of beer. No more beer, no more
poetry, pleeease. Thanks for the beer, though. Somehow listening to
you guys makes me feel like I'm waiting for Godet. If you ask me, it
ain't going to happen. Goodnight, see you in the morning!"