OK Class,
Let's begin.....
I have received the basic question about the Quantum Physics references in "The Secret" via PM, summarized as follows:
The basic premise is '' send out good vibes and good thoughts and you can create your own future" , whatever you want in the Universe will be drawn to you.
The secret claims that due to quantum physics things really are not as they appear and its all some kinda giant interwoven soup ( the Universe ) and you can draw whatever you want to you by thoughts, vibrations and energy.
A tenet of Quantum Mechanics (QM) that "The Secret" seems to co-opt is the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics which says there exists no objective physical reality other than that which is revealed through measurement and observation.
With a hat tip to JohnFK and snowleopard, let's avoid the math for a moment and employ one of Richard Feynman's favorite techniques. Dick loved using concrete examples to help understand things. In this case, let's use the famous "Schrodinger's Cat" thought experiment.
For those of you who missed that lecture, the basic premise is this:
A cat is penned up an a box, along with a device that will kill the cat if a radioactive particle therein decays during a given period of time - typically one hour. The probability of the decay taking place is 50%. (Wikipedia, while hardly an authoritative scientific reference, has a pretty good
summary. )
So, if you put a cat in the device and wait an hour, is the cat dead or alive?
The prevailing view of QM for many years was that the correct answer was: Neither - until you open the box and observe the cat. Einstein was never a fan of that model, but let's run with it for now.
"The Secret" would have you believe that if the observer was a die-hard cat lover and wished and prayed intensely for the duration of the experiment, sending out "good vibrations" to the universe (and presumably the cat), that the cat has a better than 50% chance of being alive when finally observed at the end of the hour.
If we repeat this experiment 1000 times is there anyone willing to bet the mortgage that a particularly attuned observer can save all of the cats?
Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?
OK. Anyone willing to bet our feline friendly observer can save 2/3 of the cats?
<crickets chirping>
Last chance, anyone willing to bet our cat lover can save 55% of the cats?
Hey, its better odds than Lotto 6/49 ......
Sorry, but repeated enough times, this experiment will end up with 1 dead cat for every live one.
Even the school of physics that believes the postulate that the cat is neither alive nor dead until observed has never for one instant believed (or even proposed) that the observer's (or anyone else's) wishes, thoughts or "good vibrations" can impact the outcome of the experiment.
Einstein believed that the fate of the cat was sealed before the hopeful observer opened the box, leading to his famous quote "God does not play dice."
If you could draw whatever you want to you by thoughts, vibrations and energy, then our cats would have a much better survival rate.
The claim in "The Secret" that you can draw whatever you want to you by thoughts, vibrations and energy is complete BS as far as quantum mechanics (or any other legitimate science) is concerned.
For those who claim to have been helped or had success via "The Secret" I would suggest that perhaps its the extra focus on a specific goal or outcome that is the contributing factor to your success. Every goal setting guide will tell you to be specific and concrete in your goals. Check back often and adjust the course as necessary, etc., etc. Perhaps the "good thoughts and vibrations" were serving the role of making you actually specify your goal and keeping you focused on it more frequently.
Class dismissed.
Legal Notice: No cats were harmed during this seminar.
