The complete closed world consists of three parts-substratum, phenomenal world, and observer. By our experiments we drag up activities from the substratum into the phenomenal world of space and time, but there is no clear line of demarcation between subject and object, and by performing observations on the world, we alter it, much as a fisherman dragging up fish from the depths of the seas disturbs the waters and also damages the fish.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Observation changes the world being observed, blurring the line between observer and observed.
- In plain terms
- Looking at something changes it, like dragging fish out of water.
- What can you take from it?
- The act of observing affects the system being studied.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can we observe without changing?
- Who studies the observer?
Another view
It implies we cannot measure anything without altering it.
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