If a light goes on in the middle of the desert and there is no one there to see it, is it really illuminated?

Question

Nice answers everyone, but keep in mind that a CAT asked this question and feels that animals can also "see". It does not have to be human.

Answer 1

I believe the correct answer is:  It doesn't matter, except for the person paying the electric bill!

Answer 2

This is the famous quantum consciousness question, explored by the great mathematician-physicist John Von Neumann, expounding on the quantum measurement problem. He showed that any "cut" between the observer and the observed was arbitrary and artificial, thus establishing that consciousness played a role in any quantum event, such as light emission.  If the term "no one" includes anything that could possess consciousness, then, no, it is not really illuminated---the light has not gone "on", since the quantum emission event cannot have happened without a consciousness there to witness the outcome---even if the act of witnessing occurs in the FUTURE ahead of the emission!

John von Neumann's work on this matter was later shown to be flawed, so consciouness doesn't play a role in quantum events, after all.  A more robust theory, called Decoherence, has taken its place in resolving the quantum measurement problem, but most of the public hasn't caught on yet.  What was it that Mark Twain said at one time?  "By the time truth has finished tying on the shoelaces, a lie will have travelled around the world several times".

Addendum:  I don't know American Sign Language.  But maybe this wiki article on the measurement problem might help?

Answer 3

Yes......

there are many illuminated Lights that no eyes see.

Always

Answer 4

watt?

Answer 5

Honestly I am not quite sure. I want to say yes, but the eyes recieve and decipher light. So if there aren't any eyes there to accept the light, I'm not sure it can be considered "illuminated".

Answer 6

Dear CAT, My name is Tiki, I am a  handsome (one fanged) Siamese, and I am very brilliant. I'm typing this with my tail.

     Please turn off that darn light....I'm chasing a lizard.

If a light goes on in the middle of the desert & no one is there to see it......it's probably the light that the poor unfortunate tree; that has fallen, all alone in the forest, is going towards.....so yes it is very bright.

      Great question. Meaw!

Answer 7

Of course it is.  Illumination is illumination, it makes no difference how many cats or people are about.

Answer 8

Be it laws of nature, science, spirit, etc - TRUTH IS TRUTH.

It's mankinds vainity that the universe revolves around him that brings this question.  I think this is why we have so many of the problems in the world that we do.

Answer 9

that is the same question as......." if a tree falls in the forest and now one is there to hear it, does it Reilly make a sound" .....the answer is .........YES.......

Answer 10

That was not a bad restatement of the "tree falling in the woods" quandary.

Of course, the universe works without witnesses.

(I recently met a guy online who, honestly it seemed, thought that if there were no people to see them, there would be no stars.)

Answer 11

Despite the pompous attitude of human beings, their simple perception does not make a thing so.  There happens to be billions of planets that have yet to be discovered and yet they are still there.

Answer 12

i don't know, is it near a nuclear power plant? or maybe it's near area 51....

Answer 13

nobody knows because theres nobody to see it

it doesnt answer  your question if theres a person thats seen it

Answer 14

yes.. illumination does not depend on being seen by someone.

Answer 15

this is the tree in the forest question.

yes, it is lit, but no it doesn't matter if it is or not so it might as well not be.