The observer effect is a known problem in many scientific fields. It can cause incorrect assumptions in experiments if ignored.1
Scientists strive to find knowledge of our world, but our perception of reality is affected by our own involvement. So scientists tend to hypothesize to compensate for the lack of clarity.
Nothing in the universe is isolated. Everything affects everything else in one way or another. All objects have a force of gravity that affects all other objects in the universe, including influencing space and time.
Scientists are studying how a “frame of reference” is required when measuring points in the universe that are constantly in motion.
That research involves quantum mechanics, relativity theory, and particle physics to fully understand how space and time function together as a single entity.2
The problem is that we cannot measure or analyze anything without changing the outcome. Therefore, we cannot correctly envision the actual reality of our world.
Our involvement influences our interpretation of things we are trying to analyze.3
The following example that I learned in my college days in electrical engineering will help to understand this concept:
That is true for everything, not just with electronics. Everything in the universe is related to one another in space and time.
I think this is true with our minds as well as physical objects. We relate to one another in a way that only a complex algorithm can define, and we continue to struggle with our misconceptions and misunderstandings.
Are we confused about the difference between factual and theoretical hypotheses? To make my point clear, let me ask you a question:
Do you believe in gravity?
You might be thinking right now, “What a silly question! Isn’t that obvious?”
I bring that up to make a point about theories and facts because we sometimes misunderstand how we concluded our observation. Are we clear with the facts, or are we merely accepting theories?
We can’t deny that gravity is a fact. Can we? It’s not a matter of belief, and it’s not a theoretical observation. It’s a factual observation. We can even express gravity precisely with mathematical formulas.
However, we can only explain gravity with theories. There is no factual explanation for gravity. So we accept the fact that mass attracts mass everywhere in the universe.
That same dilemma occurs with much of our scientific research.
Everything we do changes everything else in the future. Our very own existence strongly affects the rest of the universe. That is known as the butterfly effect. I’ll explain it with a couple of examples.
The term, butterfly effect, was used to demonstrate how a butterfly flapping its wings will, over time, cause considerable changes in the future.4
The problem with this is that when we try to analyze something, we change its behavior. So our observation of the way the universe is changing makes us see things differently than they actually are.
Despite the extensive technology that allows us to observe distant stars, we are forever limited to how far we can see.
That limit is 46 billion light-years! The reason for that is based on how far a photon could have traveled since being emitted from the Big Bang some 13.8 billion years ago.5
We call that the “observable universe” since the light from beyond that distance has not reached us yet. It’s as if there is a dark curtain surrounding our observable universe. There might very well be much more that exists beyond that. But we’ll never know.
It’s hard for the human mind to comprehend the concept of infinity. That’s why we prefer to think that the universe started at a specific point in time. Namely, “The Big Bang!”
That concept allows us to think of time as having a beginning and an end, rather than existing forever from the past to the future. We find it more emotionally satisfying to think in terms of a concrete timeline rather than an infinite timeline.
But let me break your bubble. As I see it, the Big Bang could not have been the beginning. It was merely the starting point for the next stage of the continuation of time.
Before the Big Bang, there was another universe with its laws of physics that may have been vastly different from what we know today.
Eventually, everything gets sucked into a black hole, and time itself becomes meaningless. Then it all explodes into another Big Bang, another universe, and another timeline all over again.
That next stage of the universe could be very different in many ways, with entirely altered laws of physics and an entirely different reality.
We can only analyze the movement of everything we observe as best we can. Our understanding is that our measurements and conclusions are limited by how our actions affect the result.
We want knowledge of reality. But in many cases, we need to judge if we are comprehending the factual nature of reality or merely believing in theories.
Was this meaningful to you? Tap
