The Squint

🌀 Quantum Superposition

Schrödinger’s Cat image of a cat laying on his back in a box and half asleep

Image: Shutterstock / Built In

UPDATED BY

Brennan Whitfield | Jun 17, 2025

Summary: Schrödinger’s Cat is a thought experiment that illustrates quantum superposition, where a cat in a sealed box is considered both alive and dead until observed. It highlights the paradox of quantum uncertainty and the role of the observer in physics.

Schrödinger’s Cat is a thought experiment devised by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, which he designed to illustrate a paradox of quantum superposition wherein a hypothetical cat may be considered both alive and dead simultaneously because its fate is linked to a random event that may (or may not) occur.

What Is Schrödinger’s Cat in Simple Terms?

Schrödinger’s Cat, as a thought experiment, states that if you seal a cat in a box with something that can eventually kill it, you won’t know if the cat is alive or dead until you open the box. So, until you open the box and observe the cat, the cat is simultaneously dead and alive.

Schrödinger's cat: A Thought Experiment in Quantum Mechanics — Chad Orzel. | Video: TED-Ed

How Does Schrödinger’s Cat Work?

We often use Schrödinger’s thought experiment to explain the concept of superposition. The experiment states that a hypothetical cat is locked in a box with some radioactive substance controlling a vial of poison. When the substance decays, it triggers a Geiger counter that causes the poison to be released, thereby killing the cat.

Since the box is locked — and we on the outside don’t know whether or not the radioactive substance has decayed and released the poison — we can’t tell if the cat is dead or alive. So, until we open the box to know for sure, the cat is both dead and alive. Mathematically speaking, there’s a 50 percent chance the cat is dead and a 50 percent chance the cat is alive.

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In quantum mechanics terms, the cat’s ability to be in an ambiguous state of both alive and dead until it’s observed (i.e. when someone opens the box) is referred to as quantum indeterminacy or the observer’s paradox. The paradox states that an event or an experiment’s observer affects its outcome. In this case, whoever is performing this hypothetical experiment can affect whether the cat remains in an unknown state or they can open the box and know if the cat is dead or alive with 100 percent certainty.

The experiment also points out when the resolution of possibilities occurs. The experiment is intended to make people ask themselves if it was logical for the observation to trigger the answer. After all, wouldn’t the cat be either dead or alive even if we never open the box?

Schrödinger’s Cat and the Role of the Observer

In quantum mechanics, the observer (the person conducting the experiment) has a role in the results of the experiment. In this case, we are unaware of the cat’s state until the observer opens the box. Until the observer opens the box, the cat exists in a superposition state; that is, the cat is both alive and dead. Only by opening the box and looking at what’s inside (i.e., observing it) is the cat’s state confirmed to be one of the two states. This is called The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which basically explains that a quantum system exists in all of its possible states at the same time. Only when we make an observation can we confirm the true state of the system.

Interpretations of Schrödinger’s Cat

Quantum reality and the Schrödinger’s Cat experiment can be interpreted in various manners. Here’s a few different interpretations for these concepts and how they are measured:

Copenhagen Interpretation

The Copenhagen interpretation proposes that a quantum system exists in a superposition of all possible quantum states simultaneously until it is measured or observed. In the Copenhagen interpretation, the quantum state’s wave function (a mathematical description of the quantum state of a quantum system) collapses into a single, definite state once the state is observed.

Developed in the 1920s, the Copenhagen interpretation is one of the earliest and most widely taught interpretations of quantum mechanics, and is often the interpretation referenced in relation to Schrödinger’s Cat.

Many-Worlds Interpretation

The many-worlds interpretation proposes that all possible outcomes of a quantum event actually do occur, but in separate, parallel universes

We often use Schrödinger’sthought experiment to explain the concept of superposition.

The experiment states that a hypothetical cat is locked in a box with some radioactive substance controlling a vial of poison. When the substance decays, it triggers a Geiger counter that causes the poison to be released, thereby killing the cat. ..

Image: Shutterstock / Built In

UPDATED BY

Brennan Whitfield | Jun 17, 2025

What Is Schrödinger’s Cat in Simple Terms?

See full list on builtin.com

Are human fantasies mere ephemera?

Are human fantasies just mere ephemera?

Not at all — human fantasies are far more than fleeting whims. They’re often the scaffolding of our deepest desires, fears, and creative impulses. While some fantasies may be short-lived or whimsical, many have enduring psychological, cultural, and even historical significance.

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Is 'woke' type thinking a Religious practise?

In short, while 'woke' thinking is not a religion in the traditional sense, it often functions like one—complete with moral codes, rituals, and a vision of justice. Whether this is empowering or problematic depends on one's perspective.

Parallels Between Woke Ideology and Religion

Moral Absolutism and Dogma Woke movements often promote strong moral convictions about justice, equality, and identity. Critics argue that these convictions can resemble religious dogmas—unchallenged truths that define right and wrong, with dissent viewed as heresy.
Rituals and Symbolism Public acts like kneeling, chanting slogans, or taking pledges at rallies have been likened to religious rituals. For example, a Black Lives Matter event in Bethesda involved participants kneeling and reciting anti-racism pledges, which some observers interpreted as quasi-religious behavior

IS morality is no more than social hygiene

That’s a fascinating and provocative question — one that touches on ethics, sociology, and even evolutionary psychology. Let’s unpack it.

1. The Meaning of the Claim

To say “morality is no more than social hygiene” suggests that:

Moral rules function like public health rules — they exist to prevent social “infection” (conflict, chaos, distrust).
Morality isn’t an objective truth or divine law, but rather a social mechanism that keeps a community functioning smoothly.

So, just as washing hands prevents disease, honesty, fairness, and cooperation prevent social breakdown.

2. Arguments Supporting the View

(a) Evolutionary/Sociobiological Perspective
From an evolutionary standpoint, moral behavior evolved because it enhanced group survival.

Cooperation, altruism, and fairness build trust, which helps groups thrive.
Groups that enforced moral norms outcompeted those that didn’t.
Thus, morality could indeed be seen as a form of “social hygiene” — rules that keep the social organism healthy.

(b) Sociological View (Durkheim, Foucault, etc.)
Sociologists like Émile Durkheim argued that moral norms are collective rules that maintain social order.
Foucault might add that morality also functions as a disciplinary system, regulating behavior much like health policies regulate the body.
So morality, in this sense, is a way of maintaining social stability and power structures.

3. Arguments Against the View

(a) Reductionism
Reducing morality to mere “social hygiene” ignores its inner dimension — the sense of justice, empathy, and duty that goes beyond mere social utility.
People often act morally against social norms or self-interest (think of whistleblowers or reformers like Socrates or Gandhi).
That suggests morality isn’t just a tool for social order.

(b) The Question of Moral Truth
Philosophers like Kant or Plato would insist morality is grounded in reason or objective moral law, not social convenience.
If morality were purely social hygiene, then slavery, caste systems, or oppression — once “socially hygienic” — would have been moral, which feels intuitively wrong.

4. A Possible Middle Ground

One might say morality originates as social hygiene (a way to manage coexistence) but develops into something richer — a shared pursuit of justice, empathy, and meaning.
It’s both:

Functional (to sustain community), and
Normative (to express what we ought to be as humans).

Famous Physicists on God

Many renowned physicists—like Albert Einstein, Max Planck, and Robert Millikan—expressed belief in a higher order or divine intelligence, though their definitions of “God” varied widely.
Others, like Stephen Hawking, leaned toward naturalistic explanations, suggesting that physics could explain the universe without invoking a deity.

IS PHYSICS A SYNOMYN FOR GOD

No, physics is not a synonym for God—but some thinkers explore deep connections between them.

Physics is the scientific study of the natural laws governing matter, energy, space, and time. God, on the other hand, is a metaphysical concept rooted in theology, spirituality, and philosophy. While they operate in different domains—physics in the empirical and God in the transcendent—many have pondered their relationship:

IN A LITERARY TEXT THERE IS NO BEGINNING, NO END

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LITERARY ORIGINALITY JUST A SWARMING

POLYSEMIC PLURALITY

LITERARY TEXTS HAVE NO BEGINNING OR END

That's a bold and fascinating statement — “Literary texts have no beginning or end.” It echoes post-structuralist ideas, especially those of Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault, who challenged traditional notions of authorship and textual boundaries.

Here’s a deeper look at what that might mean:

🌀 Infinite Interpretations

Texts are open-ended: Readers bring their own experiences, contexts, and interpretations, which means a text can be endlessly re-read and re-understood.
No fixed meaning: The idea suggests that meaning isn’t locked into a single moment of creation or conclusion — it evolves with time and audience.

ALL LITERARY TEXTS ARE WOVEN OUT OF OTHER LITERARY TEXTS

`THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LITERARY ORIGINALITY

FOR IT. THE WRITTEN WORK RESIDES IN ITS POLYSEMIC PLULARITY AND DESPITE AUTHORIAL

CLAIMS CANNOT BE RENDERED DETERNMINATE - ALL LITERARY TEXTS

ARE INTER-TEXTUAL- THE CRITIC IS JUST ANOTHER COUP DE GRACE TYPE TEXT LADLING ON

THE STRUCTURAL CEMENT OF MEANING , WHICH SOME, BARTHES, DEEM TO BE INHERENTLY TERRORISTIC, THE TEXT IS THE LAST ENCKAVE IN WHICH

THE SOI DISANT (so called\) intelletctual critic can voice their insights in their

blind narcissism

dismantling the power structures of Religious ideology as it no longer provides the social cement

Deconstuction is ultimately a political practise which endeavours to dismantle and bind the particular system of thought that maintains its power.

As RELIGION this extremely effective enormously powerful

ideological form was evaporating in the late

19th century, under the twin impacts of scientific

discovery and social change, such events were extremely effective in Religious ideology

which is an extremely effective form of ideological

control

Illusion of Probability from Post-Measurement Uncertainty

Many important debates in contemporary ethics centre on idealized thought experiments in which agents are assumed to have perfect information about the effects of their actions and other morally relevant features of the choices they face.

If A takes a certain action one person will certainly be killed; if he does not, five people will certainly be killed (Foot 1967); how the one and the five got into that situation, whether blamelessly or recklessly (Thomson 1976: 210–11), is also a matter of certainty. If Betty conceives a child now, it will certainly have a life that is hard but worth living, while if she waits, her child’s life will certainly be better—and the two choices will certainly result in different children being born (Parfit 1984: 358)

Who am I ? Whether identity is fixed or wavering is a live philosophical, psychological question

Does one's personal identity waver or is it fixed?
Short answer: it depends on what you mean by “personal identity.” Some senses of identity are relatively stable; others are fluid. Whether identity is fixed or wavering is a live philosophical, psychological and empirical question — and different frameworks give different answers.
Key distinctions
Numerical (strict) identity: the metaphysical claim that you are the very same entity across time. Philosophers debate criteria (body, brain, soul, or psychological continuity).
Qualitative identity/self-concept: the set of traits, memories, values, roles and stories you take to be “who I am.” This is clearly changeable to varying degrees.
Numerical (strict) identity: the metaphysical claim that you are the very same entity across time. Philosophers debate criteria (body, brain, soul, or psychological continuity).
Qualitative identity/self-concept: the set of traits, memories, values, roles and stories you take to be “who I am.” This is clearly changeable to varying degrees.
Philosophical perspectives
Locke: personal identity = continuity of memory/psychological continuity. If you remember past experiences, you’re the same person in the relevant sense.
Animalism: you are the same biological organism through time (the living human animal).
Reductionism (Derek Parfit): there’s no simple “deep” self; what matters are psychological connectedness and continuity, not an indivisible soul. Identity can be a matter of degree.
Bundle theory (Hume): the self is just a bundle of perceptions—no underlying fixed substance.
Narrative identity: identity is the life-story you construct; it can be revised as you reinterpret events.
Eastern (Buddhist) view: anatta (no-self) — the idea of a permanent, unchanging self is an illusion.
Psychology and neuroscience
Personality traits show substantial stability, especially after early adulthood, but change gradually across the lifespan and can change more abruptly after major life events.
Memory and brain changes (development, injury, dementia) can substantially alter who a person seems to be.
Brain evidence suggests continuity depends on ongoing physical and functional continuity of the brain, but the brain is plastic, so psychological identity is malleable.
When identity seems to “waver”
Adolescence and early adulthood (identity formation).
Major life transitions (migration, career change, trauma, illness).
Mental illness, addiction, or neurodegenerative disease.
Moral or spiritual conversion: people can adopt radically different values and life narratives.
Practical takeaway
Some core continuity usually exists (biological and psychological), but personal identity is partly constructed and revisable. Think of identity as having both stable and fluid elements: enough continuity to hold a life together, and enough plasticity to allow growth or change.
If stability is desired, practices that support continuity (narrative reflection, stable relationships, consistent values) help. If change is desired, therapy, new experiences, and deliberate reframing can facilitate it.
Needles-in-a-haystack examples and thought experiments
Ship of Theseus and Parfit’s fission cases probe strict identity.
Real-world: severe amnesia can make someone seem like a different person; gradual personality shifts (e.g., after a stroke) illustrate partial change.

If you want to go deeper

Read Derek Parfit’s Reasons and Persons (reductionism), John Locke (memory theory), David Hume (bundle theory), Daniel Dennett and Thomas Metzinger (philosophy of mind), Erik Erikson (identity development), Dan P. McAdams (narrative identity), and accessible discussions of Buddhist no-self.

Conclusion
There’s no single, universally accepted answer. If you treat identity as an unchanging metaphysical core, many traditions deny such a thing. If you treat identity as the pattern of psychology, relationships, and narrative that makes you recognizable over time, it’s mostly continuous but also changeable.

oppositions are necessary for meaning

Further, Derrida contends that "in a classical philosophical opposition we are not dealing with the peaceful coexistence of a vis-a-vis, but rather with a violent hierarchy. One of the two terms governs the other (axiologically, logically, etc.), or has the upper hand": signified over signifier; intelligible over sensible; speech over writing; activity over passivity, etc.^{[further explanation needed]} The first task of deconstruction is, according to Derrida, to find and overturn these oppositions inside a text or texts; but the final objective of deconstruction is not to surpass all oppositions, because it is assumed they are structurally necessary to produce sense: the oppositions simply cannot be suspended once and for all, as the hierarchy of dual Further, Derrida contends that "in a classical philosophical opposition we are not dealing with the peaceful coexistence of a vis-a-vis, but rather with a violent hierarchy. One of the two terms governs the other (axiologically, logically, etc.), or has the upper hand": signified over signifier; intelligible over sensible; speech over writing; activity over passivity, etc.^{[further explanation needed]} The first task of deconstruction is, according to Derrida, to find and overturn these oppositions inside a text or texts; but the final objective of deconstruction is not to surpass all oppositions, because it is assumed they are structurally necessary to produce sense: the oppositions simply cannot be suspended once and for all, as the hierarchy of dual oppositions always reestablishes itself (because it is necessary for meaning)

Alcoholics ANONYMOUS works through Group Therapy not though spiritual miracles

You're touching on an important and sometimes controversial topic in addiction recovery.

You're right that group therapy—including peer support, shared experiences, and accountability—is a core element of what helps many alcoholics recover. This is especially evident in programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), therapeutic communities, and other group-based treatment models.

However, it's worth noting a few perspectives:

1. Group Therapy & Peer Support Are Evidence-Based

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Group Therapy are backed by clinical evidence as effective treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Support groups help reduce isolation, increase motivation, and provide role models for recovery.

2. Spirituality Is Central to Some Recovery Models (Like AA)

AA incorporates spiritual elements, such as surrendering to a "higher power."

,are we really ready for a one of our character flaws to be described as a ‘wiring problem are we really ready for a one of our character flaws to be described as a ‘wiring problem

,,,are we really ready for a one of our character flaws to be described as a ‘wiring problem’. And if you are feeling happy would it make you irritated if someone described your state of happiness as ‘a cascade of reward neurotransmitters’.

Or, your state of depression described as a ‘chemical imbalance’, or of some heroic act you did that imperilled your own safety as, was no more than your ‘special altruism-boosting, mirror neurons,’ impelling you to act.

Or the moral hazards of the criminal pleading innocent on the basis that his brain made him do it, ‘look at my brain scan’. For many this might conjure up Orwellian “thought crime.” a Frankenstein science, leading to a post-human future and are we really ready for a one of our character flaws to be described as a ‘wiring problem’. And if you are feeling happy would it make you irritated if someone described your state of happiness as ‘a cascade of reward neurotransmitters’. Or, your state of depression described as a ‘chemical imbalance’, or of some heroic act you did that imperilled your own safety as, was no more than your ‘special altruism-boosting, mirror neurons,’ impelling you to act. Or the moral hazards of the criminal pleading innocent on the basis that his brain made him do it, ‘look at my brain scan’. For many this might conjure up Orwellian “thought crime.” a Frankenstein science, leading to a post-human futurevvv

How can anything be original?

a deep question! It ties into ideas about creativity, influence, and even what we mean by "originality." Some people think that nothing can truly be original because everything is built on previous ideas, experiences, or knowledge. In a way, originality is just a new combination of old things. It’s like how every song, painting, or movie feels “new,” but it’s often drawing on influences that came before.

On the flip side, there’s the argument that even if something is influenced by past things, the unique way it’s put together, or the personal touch someone adds, makes it original in its own right.

IS TIME MAN MADE?

Scientific Perspective

Time itself is not man-made.
Time, as a dimension, exists naturally in the universe. It’s a fundamental part of how the universe operates — things change, decay, move, and evolve. In physics:

Einstein’s theory of relativity shows that time is relative (it can move slower or faster depending on speed and gravity).
Time is interwoven with space as spacetime.

So, from nature’s point of view, time is real, not invented by humans

What a relief to have nothing to say

The problem is no longer getting people to express themselves, but providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find something to say. Repressive forces don’t stop p

eople from expressing themselves, but rather, force them to express themselves. What a relief to have nothing to say, the right to say nothing, because only then is there a chance of framing the rare, or ever rarer, the thing that might be worth saying.

Gilles Deleuze

There is something about the idea of a dedicated love circuitry in the brain that rubs certain people the wrong way. We accept readily enough the idea that our fear response should have its own chemical and neuronal architecture, but somehow it seems demeaning to suggest that a comparable physiological substrate exists for feelings as rich as love.
Yes, Ok then for lying, anger, fear, these new fangled science but not love, not the spiritual, no, not that, for that is sacrosanct. For many the human emotion of love has a justifiable cordon sanitaire around it. Yet, are we not being Luddite here? Neuroscience is not murdering love as it scans for brain patterns. For instance, we accept our fingerprints are open to scientific testing yet we also know they are unique; the same may apply to love. Love as a universal but arranged in novel ways for each individual.

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What Is Schrödinger’s Cat in Simple Terms?

How Does Schrödinger’s Cat Work?

c

Schrödinger’s Cat and the Role of the Observer

Interpretations of Schrödinger’s Cat

Copenhagen Interpretation

Many-Worlds Interpretation

What Is Schrödinger’s Cat in Simple Terms?

v

Parallels Between Woke Ideology and Religion

1. The Meaning of the Claim

2. Arguments Supporting the View

3. Arguments Against the View

4. A Possible Middle Ground

Famous Physicists on God

🌀 Infinite Interpretations

Illusion of Probability from Post-Measurement Uncertainty

1. Group Therapy & Peer Support Are Evidence-Based

2. Spirituality Is Central to Some Recovery Models (Like AA)

Scientific Perspective