this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
19 points (75.7% liked)

Autism

6796 readers
9 users here now

A community for respectful discussion and memes related to autism acceptance. All neurotypes are welcome.

We have created our own instance! Visit Autism Place the following community for more info.

Community:

Values

  • Acceptance
  • Openness
  • Understanding
  • Equality
  • Reciprocity
  • Mutuality
  • Love

Rules

  1. No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments e.g: racism, sexism, religious hatred, homophobia, gatekeeping, trolling.
  2. Posts must be related to autism, off-topic discussions happen in the matrix chat.
  3. Your posts must include a text body. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be descriptive.
  4. Do not request donations.
  5. Be respectful in discussions.
  6. Do not post misinformation.
  7. Mark NSFW content accordingly.
  8. Do not promote Autism Speaks.
  9. General Lemmy World rules.

Encouraged

  1. Open acceptance of all autism levels as a respectable neurotype.
  2. Funny memes.
  3. Respectful venting.
  4. Describe posts of pictures/memes using text in the body for our visually impaired users.
  5. Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
  6. Questions regarding autism.
  7. Questions on confusing situations.
  8. Seeking and sharing support.
  9. Engagement in our community's values.
  10. Expressing a difference of opinion without directly insulting another user.
  11. Please report questionable posts and let the mods deal with it. Chat Room
  • We have a chat room! Want to engage in dialogue? Come join us at the community's Matrix Chat.

.

Helpful Resources

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I can't be the only one who absolutely hates the idea of a particle having two states at once, right? Is it just a personal thing or is it tied somehow to the fact that autistic people generally have more binary thinking?

Forgive me if it's a stupid question. I'm still trying to figure out how this all works and whether I'm autistic or not.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Don't worry! Quantum Mechanics a scientific model we use to understand and work with reality, not reality itself.

The difference may seem subtle, but it is important. E.g. my bank account represents my money. At some point it may have a negative amount on it. I could model this as I own anti-money that obliterate real money when put in the same account. I can have a perfectly functioning personal economy with this interpretation. But in reality, it's the bank having to cover some transactions for me when they shouldn't have and are expecting I cover it with a deposit.

(Though I could probably ask for funding for a large currency collider to search for for the anti-money particle.)

The quantum model has many interpretations as to what underlying reality it may model. Some scientists like the "many worlds" interpretation where a particle is in one state in one universe and another state in another universe - at some point reality branches and one version of you continue in each universe (I think it's silly). What you are describing is the "Copenhagen interpretation" which is popular but many scientists reject it. Some scientists don't want to interpret reality from the model and just work with the math as math.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-manyworlds/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_interpretation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF6USB2I1iU

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Okay, thank you! My first introduction to quantum mechanics was in a magazine when I was like 11 and they used the cat analogy and I've been confused ever since! I was just sitting there thinking, "But, the cat is only one or the other. It doesn't matter whether you look at it. There's no magic going on. It's just random chance, right?"

(Maybe the fact that I was even wondering how quantum mechanics works at age eleven could be a sign that I'm autistic. Idk lol)

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Haha, yes. The cat analogy was created intentionally to demonstrate that the Copenhagen Interpretation was ludicrous. Media, however, just... ran with it because it sounded cool.

It's a good sign that you found it annoying. Erwin Schrödinger would be proud.

As for autistic, the resources in the sidebar may help you discover more.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Cool! I knew I wasn't crazy! What do you think of the RAADS-R test? That's the one I've taken and I got a score of 156 but I don't quite trust tests as I can generally tell which way a question will sway the result and so I start doubting the validity of my answers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I saw one of Yo Samdy Sam's (https://youtube.com/@YoSamdySam) videos where she went through either that test or an equivalent one. She said thinking too hard about the questions felt a bit like a symptom by itself. :)

You could also get a family member or close friend to take the test and answer "as" you. My guess is it's going to be an equivalent score.

Your score indicates it's worth checking up if you feel it is useful!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Alright, I'm looking at going back to counsellor meetings and apparently my new one has some experience with autism so that should be nice!