.
If a tree falls in the forest,
and no one is around to hear it,
does it make a sound?
According to quantum theorists,
that tree might not even exist
until it's observed.
So, is our world just an illusion?
The great philosopher René Descartes
came to the profound conclusion
that "I think, therefore I am".
He was searching for a universal truth
that couldn't be disputed,
and the act of thinking
was undeniable proof of his existence.
Yet, our understanding of existence,
and reality, are still evolving.
In the worlds of quantum physics
and neuroscience,
there are different theories about what reality is.
So, what is reality?
If we dive deep into the quantum realm,
matter is made up of subatomic particles.
These particles, including protons,
neutrons, and electrons,
are in a state of flux
until they're observed.
In fact, at the quantum level,
they may not even look like particles at all.
You could think of them
as a cloud of probabilities.
This concept is known as superposition,
meaning a particle exists
in several possible positions
until they are measured.
The idea of superposition was famously observed
in the double-slit experiment
by physicist Thomas Young in 1801.
When we shine a beam of light through one slit,
it produces a predictable line of light.
But, when another slit is added,
something kind of spooky happens.
Instead of two lines of light, we see several.
The photons seem to act like a wave,
as if they were rippling through the slits
and bouncing off each other in different directions.
This interference pattern led scientists to believe
that matter could act as both particles
and waves.
That was a profound idea
that changed the world of physics forever.
So, if things only exist when they are observed,
would black holes still exist
if we hadn't measured their X-rays?
Some physicists, like Max Tegmark,
believe that black holes
and everything we perceive to be real
is simply mathematical information.
This idea is known as
In the world of philosophy,
this idea of reality being a product of our observation
is known as
It states that anything we experience
is simply sensory data in our minds,
as if life itself is virtual reality,
without the silly glasses.
If scientists were able to send signals
to a living brain in a vat,
simulating all the senses,
could we trick the brain
to believe it's in a human body somewhere
and experiencing reality?
Maybe we could reprogram our ideas
at the neural level.
Just imagine being able to fly anywhere you want,
drive fancy cars,
dodge bullets,
and live forever.
Your pleasure, your achievements,
and your level of success
would only be limited
by your ability to imagine them.
Some cognitive neuroscientists,
including Professor Anil Seth,
suggest that our brains
are hallucinating reality all the time.
Have you ever had a dream that felt so real
that you jolted awake feeling disoriented?
Like that one night when I thought I was stuck in a How To Survive episode.
Well, our nightmares
and our perceptions of reality
are both processed in our brains' visual cortex.
This is why it can be hard
to tell the difference between them.
Even though we can't exactly be sure
what is real,
with rapid advancements
in the world of physics and neuroscience,
we're getting closer to understanding
the complexities of reality.
Maybe we'll crack the code someday.
Speaking of coding,
could it be possible that we're just characters
in some sort of computer simulation?
I mean, video game graphics
are looking pretty real these days.
On that note, Computer: load "What If sequence."
"Okay, Peter. that's a story for another What If."