Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
PBS Space Time

Does Consciousness Influence Quantum Mechanics?

Season 6 Episode 5

It’s not surprising that the profound weirdness of the quantum world has inspired some outlandish explanations. 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.

Only Available with Passport Starting
Support Provided By
Season
Are Black Holes Actually Fuzzballs?
14:07
Black holes of string theory - fuzzballs - are perhaps even weirder than the regular type.
What If Our Understanding of Gravity Is Wrong?
14:28
We learn more about Modified Newtonian Dynamics aka MOND.
Is Action The Most Fundamental Property in Physics?
14:28
ACTION is the concept in physics that may be more fundamental than energy and entropy.
Will Constructor Theory Rewrite Physics?
11:41
Constructor Theory is the ability to see the deepest underlying facts about the world.
New Results in Quantum Tunneling vs. The Speed of Light
13:00
New efforts in quantum tunneling show that superluminal motion may be possible.
Why Magnetic Monopoles Should Exist
14:15
The idea of magnetic monopoles remains one of physics’ most tantalizing maybes.
How Electron Spin Makes Matter Possible
15:10
The fact is that all electrons are the same as each other and the object is what changes.
Neutron Stars: The Most Extreme Objects in the Universe
14:14
We take a journey to the center of a neutron star, a place where matter exists in states.
First Detection of Light from Behind a Black Hole
12:21
Our cleverest astronomers have figured out ways to catch light that skims black holes.
How Vacuum Decay Would Destroy The Universe
13:01
Of all the possible ends of the universe, vacuum decay would be the most thorough.
How to Communicate Across the Quantum Multiverse
13:43
It may very well be possible to communicate between worlds.
How An Extreme New Star Could Change All Cosmology
14:30
A newly discovered white dwarf may change our understanding of all cosmology.
Active loading indicator