The Double Slit Experiment Demystified. Disproving the Quantum Consciousness connection

Does the change in the behaviour of particles seen in Young’s double-slit experiment really suggest that consciousness can alter matter and exist separately from the brain?

Any student of physics, and in particular quantum mechanics will tell you that reading articles in the media that concerns any element of quantum physics can be a minefield. Ideas are frequently misunderstood or purposefully misrepresented. This is never truer than when Young’s Double-slit experiment is presented as evidence that the presence of a human being can fundamentally change the behaviour of matter at a particle level.

Of all the publications I expected a nasty dose of ‘quantum-woo’ from, it was not PC Magazine. And yet there it was today (02/07/18) Nestled amongst reviews of smartphones and news of Facebook glitches, the claim that consciousness can cause changes in matter and that this is demonstrated in Young’s double-slit experiment.

The double-slit experiment and the odd behaviour of particles when ‘observed’ is often used in support of the idea that the human mind can fundamentally alter matter. In addition to this, it’s also frequently used to…