Mind Over Matter?

Most recent answer: 02/21/2013

Q:
I KNOW THAT A physicist cannot subtract himself from the experiment, when he studies subtle matter and that his very thoughts the quality of his mind may actually be a factor. but has it yet been proven that our thoghts can effect our environment? they can effect our health
- dannie (age 58)
india
A:
There's no evidence that our minds can directly affect other parts of matter. Obviously if you think something that causes you to do or say something, there are a variety of ways for that to affect other things. I think you're asking about some sort of direct effect not transmitted by any known physical forces. Although we don't claim to yet know all the laws of physics, it wouldn't make sense for effects so close to our experience to be completely unknown to us. That's especially true by this point of history, in which all the remote parts of the Standard Model seem in place, an excellent general theory of gravity is known, and at least some features of other physics, such as dark matter, have emerged.  Why would we have no sense of something so close to our own evolutionary success as these hypothetical mind-over-matter effects? It would make sense for people to believe in these supernatural effects out of wishful thinking.

Mike W.

(published on 02/21/2013)