Just because things get a little dingy at the subatomic level doesn't mean all bets are off.
Murray Gell-MannRead
If we look at the way the universe behaves, quantum mechanics gives us fundamental, unavoidable indeterminacy, so that alternative histories of the universe can be assigned probability.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The universe operates on principles of uncertainty, allowing for multiple possible outcomes to exist simultaneously.
Murray Gell-Mann's quote highlights the concept of indeterminacy in quantum mechanics, which suggests that events on a fundamental level do not have definitive outcomes, but rather a range of probabilities. This nature of the universe implies that alternative histories or scenarios can coexist, reflecting the complexity and unpredictability of reality in the realm of quantum physics.
Themes
Quantum MechanicsIndeterminacyProbabilityUniversePhysics
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on quantum physics, the quote can be used to illustrate the fundamental principles of uncertainty.
More from Murray Gell-Mann
All quotes βSometimes the probabilities are very close to certainties, but they're never really certainties
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If someone says that he can think or talk about quantum physics without becoming dizzy, that shows only that he has not understood anything whatever about it.
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What is especially striking and remarkable is that in fundamental physics a beautiful or elegant theory is more likely to be right than a theory that is inelegant.
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