"Collapse of the wave function has jack shit to do with the mind." - Neil deGrasse Tyson
Note: The italics in "mind" denote sarcasm.
"I don't believe that consciousness causes collapse, but I personally knew geniuses of the past who believed it does." - Roger Penrose
The above two statements are not literal quotes. They are paraphrased from memory. The first was from a Joe Rogan interview with Dr. Tyson. They sure did love bashing on the woo woo nonsense. Clearly, just a bunch of new age, mystical bullshit, eh guys? The second is from Roger Penrose. He's well known to have stated as such in multiple interviews.
I'm fully aware that both individuals are in fact in agreement against the notion of consciousness causing collapse, and if they read this (hypothetically, of course), they might easily join together against what I'm writing here. Luckily, they're just too famous to ever read my little blog post.
Proposal
So here's my take. Let's imagine that someone decides to prove that an alleged phenomenon is fake in the spirit of James Randi and sticking it to the charlatans. Let's say they succeed, and produce strong evidence of fakery.
Exactly which field would such an investigation fall under?
Personally, I would call such a study a parapsychology study, because I would define paraspsychology as the serious investigation into whether or not alleged events are real. Either it's true or it isn't — a scientific mindset.
How arrogant!
True. But is it not also arrogant to define someone else's field as fake science without even studying it?
This guy actually has psychosis. It would be rude to say anything.
Well, you're coming from a position of sympathy. I respect that. But please, go ahead and write a comment. Imagine a smirk on my face as I type, if it makes it easier for you.
Conclusion
What I like most about this argument is that it remains valid even if your IQ is twice as high as my own. Why not channel your rage and intellect into telling me how this statement is damaging to society and helps encourage chaos? I dare you. Or be instructive — after all, my physics knowledge is a joke, so maybe I said something stupid. Either way, leave a comment.
