[ExI] Quantum Bayesianism (QBism)

[BillK]

On Fri, 8 Sept 2023 at 16:15, Jason Resch via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> One thing I would like QBists to explain, is if there is no outer reality, only my "degrees of belief", then how is it that my "degrees of belief" are able to factor a 1000 digit semiprime, as happens in a quantum computer? Something external to me must be doing this, no?
>
> Jason
> _______________________________________________


Well, I am not a quantum theory expert. :)  Just an interested reader.
But the technical article I referenced earlier says --
A) QBism is still a work-in-progress (like most quantum theories) so
perfection should not be expected. :)
and
B) In QBism, any observer, whether conscious or not, can update their
beliefs upon making a measurement. There is no need for a special role
of consciousness in the measurement process.
--------

I asked for an explanation of B) and AI said --

To understand why this statement is important, let's first consider
the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which posits that
the act of measurement causes the wave function to collapse. In this
view, the observer plays a fundamental role in the collapse of the
wave function, as their consciousness is what brings about the
collapse. However, this raises questions about the nature of
consciousness and its relationship to the physical world.

Qbism, on the other hand, offers a different perspective on the role
of the observer in quantum mechanics. According to Qbism, the act of
observation itself, rather than the consciousness of the observer, is
what collapses the wave function. This means that the observer does
not need to be conscious in order to bring about the collapse of the
wave function. Instead, it is the act of observation, regardless of
whether or not the observer is conscious, that is what matters.
--------------

To me, that reads as though we should expect the quantum computer to
act as the observer in your example.


BillK