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Does Consciousness Influence Quantum Mechanics? episode artwork

Oct 27, 2026 22 min

Does Consciousness Influence Quantum Mechanics?

from PBS Space Time Hosted by PBS

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE↓ More info below ↓Uploaded 18-02-20Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeSign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!https://tinyurl.com/yx9cusk5Check out the Space Time Merch Storehttps://pbsspacetime.com/It’s not surprising that the profound weirdness of the quantum world has inspired some outlandish explanations - nor that these have strayed into the realm of what we might call mysticism. One particularly pervasive notion is the idea that consciousness can directly influence quantum systems - and so influence reality. Today we’re going to see where this idea comes from, and whether quantum theory really supports it.Hosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'DowdGraphics by Leonardo Scholzer and Adriano LealPost Production: Yago Ballarini, Max Willians, Pedro OsinskiDirected by: Eric Brown and Andrew KornhaberExecutive Producers: Eric Brown and Andrew KornhaberEnd Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRl6-nb4iOnsij-vnpAjp0QThe behavior of the quantum world is beyond weird. Objects being in multiple places at once, communicating faster than light, or simultaneously experiencing multiple entire timelines ... that then talk to each other. The rules governing the tiny quantum world of atoms and photons seem alien. And yet we have a set of rules that give us incredible power in predicting the behavior of quantum system - rules encapsulated in the mathematics of quantum mechanics. Despite its stunning success, we’re now nearly a century past the foundation of quantum mechanics and physicists are still debating how to interpret its equations and the weirdness they represent.Thanks to our Patreon SupportersBig Bang SupportersAlexander TamasDavid BarnholdtDavid NicklasFabrice EapJuan BenetJustin LloydMorgan HoughQuasar SupporterChristina OegrenMark HeisingVinnie FalcoHypernova SupportersChuck ZegarDanton SpiveyDonal BotkinEdmund FokschanerHank SJohn HofmannJohn PollockJohn R.

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Does Consciousness Influence Quantum Mechanics?

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