--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wheeler wasn’t the first to point out…" description: "\"“Wheeler wasn’t the first to point out that quantum mechanics slips into paradox the minute you introduce a second observer. The Nobel Prize–winning ph..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/amanda-gefter-47281_friendship_wheeler-wasn-t-the-first-to-point-out-th_1074338.jpg" --- # Wheeler wasn’t the first to point out that quantum… ![“Wheeler wasn’t the first to point out that quantum mechanics slips into paradox the minute you introduce a second observer. The Nobel Prize–winning physicist Eugene Wigner, for one, had emphasized it with a Schrödinger’s-cat-style thought experiment that became known as “Wigner’s friend.” It went…” quote by Amanda Gefter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/amanda-gefter-47281_friendship_wheeler-wasn-t-the-first-to-point-out-th_1074338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/amanda-gefter-47281_friendship_wheeler-wasn-t-the-first-to-point-out-th_1074338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/amanda-gefter-47281_friendship_wheeler-wasn-t-the-first-to-point-out-th_1074338.jpg) > ““Wheeler wasn’t the first to point out that quantum mechanics slips into paradox the minute you introduce a second observer. The Nobel Prize–winning physicist Eugene Wigner, for one, had emphasized it with a Schrödinger’s-cat-style thought experiment that became known as “Wigner’s friend.” It went something like this: Inside a lab, Wigner’s friend sets up an experiment in which an atom will randomly emit a photon, producing a flash of light that leaves a spot on a photographic plate. Before Wigner’s friend checks the plate for signs of a flash, quantum mechanics shows that the atom is in a superposition of having emitted a photon and not having emitted a photon. Once the friend looks at the plate, however, he sees a single outcome—the atom flashed or it didn’t. Somehow his looking collapses the atom’s wavefunction, transforming two possibilities into a single reality. Wigner, meanwhile, is standing outside the lab. From his point of view, quantum mechanics shows that until his friend tells him the outcome of the experiment, the atom remains in a superposition of having emitted a photon and not having emitted a photon. What’s more, his friend is now in a superposition of having seen a spot of light on the plate and not having seen a spot of light on the plate. Only Wigner, quantum theory says, can collapse the wavefunction by asking his friend what happened in there. The two stories are contradictory. According to Wigner’s friend, the atom’s wavefunction collapsed when he looked at the plate. According to Wigner, it didn’t. Instead, his friend entered a superposition correlated with the superposition of the atom, and it wasn’t until Wigner spoke to his friend that both superpositions collapsed. Which story is right? Who is the true creator of reality, Wigner or his friend?”” [Amanda Gefter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gefter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The paradox arises because different observers assign different quantum states, leading to contradictory collapse accounts. **In simple terms:** Observers see different realities until they communicate. Key Takeaway Recognize that observation is relational, not absolute. Themes quantum mechanics observer effect philosophy of science Mood curious thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - laboratory experiments - philosophical debates - educational lectures - science communication Key Concepts superposition wavefunction collapse measurement problem Questions to Reflect On - How does observer dependence affect our notion of reality? - Can a single framework reconcile differing perspectives? A Different Perspective The resolution may require new theory beyond standard quantum mechanics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [According Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/according-wigner-2692836/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Quantum mechanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum-mechanics/) [Quantum theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum-theory/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wigner-2692838/) [Wigner Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wigner-didn-2692837/) [Wigner Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wigner-friend-2473966/) [Wigner Quantum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wigner-quantum-2692835/) ## Related quotes > [“In 1967, the second resolution to the cat problem was formulated by Nobel laureate Eugene Wigner, whose work was pivotal in laying the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-1967-the-second-resolution-to-the-cat-problem-was-formulated-by/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase, accounts for the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics'?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/what-to-use-noble-laureate-wigner-s-classic-phrase-accounts-for-the/) [Francis S. 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The Nobel Prize–winning physicist Eugene Wigner, for one, had emphasized it with a Schrödinger’s-cat-style thought experiment that became known as “Wigner’s friend.” It went something like this: Inside a lab, Wigner’s friend sets up an experiment in which an atom will randomly emit a photon, producing a flash of light that leaves a spot on a photographic plate. Before Wigner’s friend checks the plate for signs of a flash, quantum mechanics shows that the atom is in a superposition of having emitted a photon and not having emitted a photon. Once the friend looks at the plate, however, he sees a single outcome—the atom flashed or it didn’t. Somehow his looking collapses the atom’s wavefunction, transforming two possibilities into a single reality. Wigner, meanwhile, is standing outside the lab. From his point of view, quantum mechanics shows that until his friend tells him the outcome of the experiment, the atom remains in a superposition of having emitted a photon and not having emitted a photon. What’s more, his friend is now in a superposition of having seen a spot of light on the plate and not having seen a spot of light on the plate. Only Wigner, quantum theory says, can collapse the wavefunction by asking his friend what happened in there. The two stories are contradictory. According to Wigner’s friend, the atom’s wavefunction collapsed when he looked at the plate. According to Wigner, it didn’t. Instead, his friend entered a superposition correlated with the superposition of the atom, and it wasn’t until Wigner spoke to his friend that both superpositions collapsed. Which story is right? 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