RE: Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> T. Mike Keesey
>
>
> On Sun, 2 Dec 2001, David Elliott wrote:
>
> > I have this vague suspicion that there is a different name for the
> > general philosophical principle that Heisenburg was mixed up with,
>
> I think that, whether Heisenberg intended it or not, the general
> philosophical principle has the same name, at least as it is popularly
> referred to.
>
> See THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE for a fuller discussion. ;)

Yes, but sadly that is about as accurate as calling ichthyosaurs "sea
dinosaurs" :-).

Applying the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle to atomic- or larger scale
phenomena is inappropriate, and is along the lines of those folk who use
Einsteinian general relativity as a "cause" for moral relativity, or who
think that quantum mechanics is just Taoism with equations.

That being said, it SHOULD always be acknowledged that all observers
introduce biases (whether by directly affecting that which is observed, or
through the process of interpretation of the data).  The methods of Science
are designed to recognize this fact, and go out of the way to minimize its
effects.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796
>