There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know. -- Donald Rumsfeld, explaining the quantum mechanics of the Gulf War, which, of course, is better suited to Chaos Theory.
until observed we can't know what what state a system is in -- This is of course true, but, its a reference to the observer, not the state in and of itself. We may not know the state of the matter, or of the energy, but we can be sure they exist independent of our observation. Quantum mechanics is more an insight into our flawed way of measuring and observing, not a commentary on the existence or nonexistence of the material world in the first place.
That to the degree that we don't observe it, it is vaguely 'not there' - but that 'not there' is true for us, not for the universe.
Quantum physics is more or less an abuse of probability, albeit for a good reason. Still while people marvel at the fact that the table or the chair exists as little more than a probability string, of things that are more or less attributed to be there - though we can't be sure - that ignore the fact that in each instant probability becomes reality, it becomes certain, it did or it did not. And that's what keeps the chair together, not the probability, but probability becoming certain.
We might not know if the cat is dead or alive (or perhaps a Zombie Schrödinger's Cat - dead, yet un-dead at the same time.) Or even that its a cat. But we can know if something is in the box. And if we wait long enough the smell will tell us if the cat is dead or alive, why rush it?
I just love the Heisenberg uncertainty principle though. You know that the Baptists still have their knickers in a twist about Darwin, wait till they read on in the science book and get to this. First of all, it says that its impossible to know everything. (Sorry there T.V. Reverend) Second it says that the act of observing, in and of itself, somehow changes things. That is a delicious idea. Something in the process is somehow changing reality.
So, now that I've thought it, there is Schrödinger's Zombie Cat. With lasers. Yeah. That would be really cool.
