Quantum Entanglement is Defining Our Future
How three scientists won the Nobel Prize for Physics and changed our understanding of reality forever.
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Recently, I asked ChatGPT to explain quantum entanglement as though I'm a 7-year old using 140 characters or less. This is what it told me:
"Quantum entanglement is like having two special coins that can always tell each other which side is up, even if they're far apart."1
Pretty poetic response for a robot.
For any readers who do not yet know, last year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger for their work using entangled photons to test the quantum foundations of reality. Aka Quantum Entanglement.
Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger. Credit: Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach
Working independently, each of the three researchers forged new experiments demonstrating and investigating quantum entanglement, the curious phenomenon in which two or more particles exist in a so-called entangled state.2
In this weird journey of metaphysical understanding, two or more particles are connected in a way that allows them to affect each other, even if they are far apart. If one particle is changed, it will instantly affect all the other particles in the group. It's like if you have three friends in different locations, and if one of them does something, it will instantly affect what the other two are doing—whether they are in the same room or in a galaxy on the opposite side of the universe. In 7-year old speak, they will always be able to tell each other which side is up.
"Quantum information science is a vibrant and rapidly developing field,” says Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics. “Its predictions have opened doors to another world, and it has also shaken the very foundation of how we interpret measurements.”3
The bizarre situation of quantum entanglement is as much intellectually stimulating as it is philosophically curious; residing in the vast realm of how the universe works by examining things on very small scales. Atoms-and-particles-small.4 Einstein was involved in this work and once famously derided it as “spooky action at a distance.”
Why You Should Care
This “spooky action” has massive implications on our understanding of reality itself. An accomplishment of this caliber brings dimensionality into mainstream awareness, with the potential to influence billions of people into a more connected life.
This is where philosophy and science intersect. Everything on this planet is composed of atoms and particles, including humans. And everyday we humans are lighting up the world with healing, love, laughter and kindness. At the same time, we live in poverty, war, grief and disease. All of these experiences exist. There's an entanglement, interconnectedness, and ultimately a balance. There is light and dark. And though light might not be able to convince dark to become light, it can keep shining. It can keep influencing the dark particles it's entangled with. The way I see it, this dance of polarity is an open door to more healing for humankind.
The Nobel Prize for quantum entanglement has catapulted us beyond the two great pillars of 20th century science. The first of these pillars is quantum physics, also known as energy matter. The second is relativity physics, also known as space and time.
Both quantum physics and relativity physics are attributes describing the universe's appearance. Many of us are familiar with these concepts. And in all their complexity, what they fail to describe is the universe’s deeper reality. The deeper reality emerges from what’s called “non-physical domains of causation, intelligence, and intention.”5
These quantum domains can translate to something called consciousness. Experts say consciousness expresses itself to us as meaningful information. For example, many people have experienced energy healing through vibration and frequency: reiki, sound therapy, Jin Shin Jyutsu, chromotherapy, and more. These vibrations and frequencies are the wave guides aka the “non-physical domains.” Consciousness is winking at us by sharing all sorts of information– providing evidence of a deeper reality and capacity for healing. TLDR; quantum entanglement provides hope. It tells us that our bodies' energy fields can engage in a physical process for more conscious living.6
Exploring philosophy of science gives me a sense of peace. We all are connected to and influenced by the other parts of the universe: the planet we live on, the ecosystem we are part of, and the larger cosmos.
"Orion Views Earth from Afar." Image credit: NASA. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
How to Integrate QE in 2023
When I want to derive meaning from theory and measurement– I like to think about what actions can have a big ripple effect.
What can I do to start my day consciously?
How does a deeper reality connect me with others?
What tools are available to aid in my healing?
As this field of research continues to grow, it allows us to learn more about how each of us affects the other. Each of us is intertwined with something at the farthest stretch of the universe. We have our own DNA and coordinates📍on this floating space rock. And as we continue waking up to the reality of our deepest selves, our pursuits in business and life can begin to influence the collective outcome.
This is such a critical time on the planet. We are working together to address global trauma while simultaneously grieving en masse. We are reimagining a more equitable structure and re-thinking capitalism, whether the powers that be like it or not. We are investing in new ways to clean-up our oceans at scale while billionaires are chartering planes and rocketships.7 We are focusing on diminishing heartbreaking gun violence and slowing the prison industrial complex while counting mass shootings on a headline ticker. We are creating new pathways, light and dark; we are entangled.
I do very much believe darkness will wreak havoc, that’s its job. Our job is to continue balancing it with light. In practicality that looks a lot less like virtue signaling8 and a lot more like creative rebellion.9
As we continue on this quest called life, I see a world where individuals have their own unique experiences and zones of genius, causing a deeper sense of connection through empathy. Real empathy allows for a shift away from societal pressure for uniformity and instead encourages compassion for our differences. This leads to the cultivation of a more trustworthy and inclusive community, where we embrace and celebrate each other rather than 'othering' those who may not be familiar to us, think like us, or support the same issues we do. And best of all, real empathy encourages us to celebrate when we find the comfort of our similarities.
This spacetime calls for each of us to have a strong nervous system so we remain discerning, bright and elevated in pressurized times. Traditional Chinese Medicine calls it qi (also spelled "chi" or "ki"); Qi is what we are cultivating–our vital life force.10 We are meant to have strength in the storm of this spiritual human experience. We are meant to choose carefully what deserves our reactivity. We are meant to use our imagination, kindness and playfulness whenever possible to ignite peace and oneness.11
In this crazy quantum future I hope to build and resource together. To do our best to acknowledge the thumbprint of each human and where their story began. I want to see us empathize in solidarity, accepting the light and the dark, and how it influences the other particles. From that place of introspection, we can tell each other which side is up.
About Beth and Tiny Elephant:
My mission here at Earth School is to push the boundaries. Rather than controlling projects with exhausted approaches of bureaucracy, my team and I operate as a global network of independent artists, creatives, and strategists. Contrary to the agency world we came from, we’ve built a reliable solution with less red tape, fewer arbitrary rules, and no resources wasted, allowing us to meet the market where it is, and better yet: where we know it’s going.
Really well written.