Basic Assumptions of Physics Might Require the
Future to Influence the Past:
"One of the most well-accepted physical theories makes no logical sense. Quantum
mechanics, the theory that governs the smallest possible spaces, forces our human
brains to accept some really wacky, uncomfortable realities. Maybe we live in a world
where certain observations can force our universe to branch into multiple ones. Or
maybe actions in the present influence things earlier in time.
A team of physicists did some thinking, and realized this latter idea, called
retrocausality, is a consequence of certain interpretations of quantum mechanics, and
therefore, certain interpretations of the nature of reality. Their new paper is more of a
“what-if,” an initial look at how to make some of those quantum mechanical
interpretations work. Some people I asked thought the work was important, some
thought it didn’t matter. Others felt the authors’ interpretation of quantum mechanics
avoids the problems posed by the new paper. But no matter what, quantum mechanics
will force us to make some uncomfortable conclusions about the world."
See:
http://gizmodo.com/basic-assumptions...e-t-1796730487