Recently, I watched an episode of Black Mirror on Netflix in which the protagonist was a 17-year-old computer programmer, living in the 80s, during the rise of computer games. His brainchild, a video game called Bandersnatch, takes the player into a world where he/she determines the destiny of the game's character by choosing one of two options. The player has 10 seconds to choose. For example, does he go left or right? Each choice leads to a different outcome. Like a labyrinth, the player experiences various fates at which points he must start over from where he left off and make the other choice. Although a masterful and enjoyable production, the point of this dissertation is not a review but an interesting thought exercise. I will begin with my own thoughts on the subject of quantum theory.
Two very interesting scientific discoveries caught my attention recently. I had just read an article on Schrodinger's Cat where the entire concept is revisited using a quantum experiment in a real-life scenario. (no cats were harmed in the experiment). But I will not get into these details yet. It is important, however to be familiar with the original experiment. Just to be clear, in the original thought experiment, a cat is placed in a box with a lethal instrument that has a chance of detonating within a minute, thereby killing the cat. (clearly, Schrodinger was not a cat person). The lethal device is a radioactive atom which emits radiation on a random basis. This triggers a switch which releases poisonous gas. However, since we have sealed the box and can't see inside, we don't know if the cat is dead or alive until we look inside. This thought experiment is intended to describe the interactions of subatomic particles but using a macroscopic example. A minute after the box is sealed therefore, the cat is in a state of being both alive and dead but not one or the other until we open the box. This state, a kind of quantum superposition, exists in nature all the time in the subatomic world. In other words, the reality of the cat’s fate is determined by our intervention, i.e., the opening of the box. This is referred to as measurement or observation. In the quantum world, our very act of observation of subatomic particles forces this state of superposition to collapse into one reality or another, in this case, a dead cat or a living cat.
Back to the Black Mirror episode. In this case, while the Netflix viewer, (you or I), is watching our hero live his life in the midst of a mental breakdown, Netflix has created an interactive feature, that allows the viewer to choose the fate of the protagonist by selecting one of two options for the storyline on their computer screen. And each choice takes the viewer to an alternate ending for the protagonist. Once again, the story picks up from the last choice and the viewer makes the opposite choice leading the protagonist down a different rabbit hole.
Now imagine that everything in your life is controlled not by a choice of two options, but multiple options. Some options are numerous, like what will I wear today? Where will I go for lunch? What if you (as in all of humanity) make these choices everyday of your lives and we change our destinies just by acting on our environment. And imagine each option we choose will lead us down a different path until the next choice is made, creating a fascinating web of potential events. But wait! Can this "web" be mapped by a computer? In fact, many believe that we are currently living in a 'virtual reality" computer program similar to that of the "Matrix" trilogy, from which there is no escape. Do you think this could be your reality?
At the macroscopic level, however, we cannot experience what subatomic particles do at the microscopic level. But what if we could? Imagine you are in a room with a door that locks both ways or opens both ways, and you may attempt to open the door or not. If you do, the door may be open or locked, but you will not know until you interact with the door. However, much depends on who is in control of the lock, but we will just say a mysterious outside observer controls the lock using a coin flip to decide to lock or unlock the door. But what if you do not interact with the door? Then it is in a state of being locked and not locked simultaneously, from your point of view. Just for a lark, let’s say there is a guy on the other side of the door, who is in a similar predicament. He doesn’t know if the door is locked or not. So, if he interacts with the door, he will render it locked or unlocked. If the door opens when he tries it, reality has collapsed into the “unlocked door” state. But is “measurement” even necessary for every observer? Well, according to the most recent quantum physics experiments, two different states of alignment of an observed photon can exist to two different observers. So, if you attempt to open the door and it is found to be locked, it is possible for the observer on the other side of the door to find it unlocked. We can conclude that reality only "appears" to be objective. Some scientists even believe that we "create" reality with every single interaction with our environment, and that nothing is really there without us. However, in this case, an outside "observer" has created the reality that the door is in fact locked or open depending on two options: heads or tails. This scenario does not deal with photons but macroscopic locks whose reality does not mimic subatomic reality. But this is an amusing conundrum all the same.
Now imagine that this time, there are other doors in both rooms. In fact, there are 10 doors in each room. One door leads to the outside world, your goal, but the other doors lead to other smaller rooms. They are also locked or unlocked. Yikes! Did you say math?!!! Well, yes; math is needed at this point. But luckily, this thought exercise is not intended to sharpen our math skills. However, every day when we wake up, we start with a mathematical equation. “Get out of bed” is about a 99% probability. There is also the possibility that we just choose to stay in bed all day. This scenario is rare, let’s say 1%. Next, there are the high probabilities of your normal routines occurring in the same day (stretching, going to the bathroom, showering, eating breakfast etc.). But what of those things that are not under our control? If you fall ill, get injured or just suddenly perish, the probability that you'll get out of bed is slimmer and then the probabilities of your normal routines occurring (in the same day) are slim to none. Can you see how the calculations can get highly complicated and difficult to follow? Why, it is a virtual web of choices, paths, and their probabilities that determine our destinies. Introduce God's intervention and the math goes berserk! Even without His intervention, life is complex beyond our comprehension. For example, most people control their own doors, but just think of what would happen if your “brain” forgets to lock a door or bring keys, or both! Or someone else with keys locks or unlocks the door without your knowledge! Can all outcomes in someone's life be predicted with precision using a computer program? Or can God change anything he wants at any given juncture, changing the mathematical "path" in someone's life?
Computers operate on two options: 0 and 1. From this humble beginning, we now have the technology to create video games simulating a variety of scenarios strikingly similar to the real world. Imagine the ease with which a quantum computer could simulate our lives if virtual reality programs were improved. We can thank our lucky stars that we are not just part of a grand video game. God has given us free will, so this must be our own choice.