Re: [asa] Spooky Action At A Distance: Still Spooky

> Most working scientists hold fast to the concept of 'realism'—a viewpoint
> according to which an external reality exists independent of observation.
> But quantum physics has shattered some of our cornerstone beliefs...Our result suggests that giving up the concept of locality is not sufficient to be consistent with quantum experiments, unless certain intuitive features of realism are abandoned.

This seems (the full article won't open for me) to address some
specific aspects of particular versions of realism. However, the new
study is still firmly grounded on the assumption that an external
reality exists independent of observation. It asserts that making the
observation has an effect on the external reality; however, making the
same observation has the same effect on the external reality. In
other words, the existence but not the behavior of the external
reality is independent of observation. They are claiming that anyone
with the equipment could make the same experiment and reach the same
conclusions. Thus, these results do not provide legitimate support
for relativism of the sort that claims, e.g., that science is merely a
cultural product or that there cannot be moral absolutes.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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