Respond to the following questions in a post of no less than 300 words. Your post is due by 11:59PM, Sunday, 10 February.Why is "thought experiment" of Schrödinger's cat (btm. 17- 18) so fitting an end to the first section of the novel? Why does Henry reject it as a thought experiment? How does the image of the cat in the box address the idea of disasters that occur outside the range of our own consciousness? In other words, why after hearing on the radio that the plane has crashed, does Henry think "Schrödinger's dead cat is alive after all" (36).
Saturday opens with the introduction of Henry Perowne. Perowne finds himself awake one night standing and staring for no apparent reason. As he stares out of the window he sees “the innocent silhouette” (15) of a plane with a “burning engine,” and a “fiery white core” (15). He watches the plane descend as his mind runs endlessly. He wonders how the passengers are responding, whether they are fumbling in their bags for the phones hoping to call loved ones and deliver heartfelt last words, or calling upon their faith and praying to their god to comfort them. Perowne contemplates waking his wife but decides that would “wake her into a nightmare” (14). When he sees all that he can see he goes to sit with his son, waiting anxiously to hear what became of the passengers.
The example of Schrödinger’s cat is the notion that a cat inside a box can be either alive or dead. There is still an equal probability that is until the top is lifted and the answer unveiled. Perowne says that “None of this ever made any sense to me at all,” (18) and therefore he rejected it. He supports his decision by stating that to date even physicists are “abandoning it” (18).
After the plane crash Perowne thinks of the “thought experiment.” He wonders if the people in the plane are alive or dead, because he cannot see he will not know until someone else tells him. Therefore the probability that they are still alive is equal to the probability that they are dead. Perowne learns that the plane did land and the passengers were safe. A good ending seemed to come out of a terrible event. There were two possible outcomes and the positive one prevailed. Perowne compares this outcome to the living cat, a positive outcome can come out of a negative thing.
The idea of Schrödinger’s cat and “thought experiment” applies to our everyday life, most commonly when you tell someone that you love them for the first time. If the other person does not respond back immediately and just as confidently the other person immediately begins to worry. There are two possible outcomes: either the other person does not love them back, or they are taking a long time to respond because they are thinking about how much they love the other person and how they should tell them. Of course the thought of the negative outcome comes immediately and they begin to fear that they are not loved back. When we ask our parents if we can do something, if they do not respond immediately, I always assume they are going to say no.
Although I am not the most positive person, and I normally find more time to complain than I should, I do believe that good things happen. I do believe that a positive thing can come out of a seemingly negative thing. There can always be something positive about anything; it is just hard to pick out at the time. But I do believe that looking back there is always something positive to be found. Had the plane crashed that night and all the passengers been killed Perowne probably would not have thought anything positive came out of it. But, he would value his life more and live it more fully having witnessed such a thing. If one positive thing can come out of a negative thing, that in a way, makes enduring the negativity more worth it.
Saturday opens with the introduction of Henry Perowne. Perowne finds himself awake one night standing and staring for no apparent reason. As he stares out of the window he sees “the innocent silhouette” (15) of a plane with a “burning engine,” and a “fiery white core” (15). He watches the plane descend as his mind runs endlessly. He wonders how the passengers are responding, whether they are fumbling in their bags for the phones hoping to call loved ones and deliver heartfelt last words, or calling upon their faith and praying to their god to comfort them. Perowne contemplates waking his wife but decides that would “wake her into a nightmare” (14). When he sees all that he can see he goes to sit with his son, waiting anxiously to hear what became of the passengers.
The example of Schrödinger’s cat is the notion that a cat inside a box can be either alive or dead. There is still an equal probability that is until the top is lifted and the answer unveiled. Perowne says that “None of this ever made any sense to me at all,” (18) and therefore he rejected it. He supports his decision by stating that to date even physicists are “abandoning it” (18).
After the plane crash Perowne thinks of the “thought experiment.” He wonders if the people in the plane are alive or dead, because he cannot see he will not know until someone else tells him. Therefore the probability that they are still alive is equal to the probability that they are dead. Perowne learns that the plane did land and the passengers were safe. A good ending seemed to come out of a terrible event. There were two possible outcomes and the positive one prevailed. Perowne compares this outcome to the living cat, a positive outcome can come out of a negative thing.
The idea of Schrödinger’s cat and “thought experiment” applies to our everyday life, most commonly when you tell someone that you love them for the first time. If the other person does not respond back immediately and just as confidently the other person immediately begins to worry. There are two possible outcomes: either the other person does not love them back, or they are taking a long time to respond because they are thinking about how much they love the other person and how they should tell them. Of course the thought of the negative outcome comes immediately and they begin to fear that they are not loved back. When we ask our parents if we can do something, if they do not respond immediately, I always assume they are going to say no.
Although I am not the most positive person, and I normally find more time to complain than I should, I do believe that good things happen. I do believe that a positive thing can come out of a seemingly negative thing. There can always be something positive about anything; it is just hard to pick out at the time. But I do believe that looking back there is always something positive to be found. Had the plane crashed that night and all the passengers been killed Perowne probably would not have thought anything positive came out of it. But, he would value his life more and live it more fully having witnessed such a thing. If one positive thing can come out of a negative thing, that in a way, makes enduring the negativity more worth it.
1 comment:
You do a nice job integrating quotes into your sentences, and you do a good job of using them to set the scence before you make your argument.
I also appreciate that you related the events in the first chapter back to your own life. I do feel that it caused you to lose focus, though. I would have liked to see you address the end of the first section (past 36) in order to answer the prompt more directly.
Good job, though, and thanks for the work. And for being the first to post!
10/10
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