Schrödinger’s Cat and Carl Sagan’s God

Image by Gemini AI

“Suppose a patriotic Indian claims, with the intention of proving the superiority of India, that water boils at 71 degrees Celsius in India, and the listener is a scientist. What will happen?”

Grandpa was having his occasional discussion with his Gen Z grandson who was waiting for his admission to IIT Madras, his dream destination.

“Scientist, you say?” Gen Z asked.

“Hmm.”

“Then no quarrel, no fight. There’d be a decent discussion.”

Grandpa smiled. If someone makes some similar religious claim, there could be riots. The irony is that religions are meant to bring love among humans but they end up creating rift and fight. Scientists, on the other hand, keep questioning and disproving each other, and they appreciate each other for that.

“The scientist might say,” Gen Z continued, “that the claim could be absolutely right on the Kanchenjunga Peak.”

Grandpa had expected that answer. He was familiar with this Gen Z’s brain which wasn’t degenerated by Instagram and WhatsApp.

Claims could lead to massacres. Someone claims that the cow is a sacred animal and then goes on to kill humans to protect cows. Another one claims that there was a temple earlier where a mosque now stands and then go on to create a riot and slaughters.

“You know grandpa,” Gen Z said, “our English teacher once asked a question.”

“Tell me.”

“Someone claims that Krishna showing the Visvarupa was actually the first multiverse PowerPoint presentation, proving our acharyas understood quantum superposition before Schrödinger’s cat was even born. Would that be as emotive as another claim like the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple Tejo Mahalaya?”

“Interesting.” Grandpa was intrigued though he was familiar with the English teacher in question through Gen Z’s conversations. “What was the outcome of that discussion?”

“Isn’t that a foregone conclusion, Grandpa?”

“Hmm, but I’m still curious.”

“No, the two claims won’t be equally emotive.”

“Go on.”

“The very phrases like quantum superposition and Schrödinger’s cat will take the wind out of the emotive sails, the teacher said. There’s no emotion in quantum physics and Schrödinger’s cat as in temples and mosques.”

Grandpa and Gen Z discussed how many thinkers have already dealt with this topic. Bertrand Russell, for example, was of the opinion that religion persists because science demands intellectual discipline while religion offers easy comfort. Freud argued that religion satisfies emotional needs that science cannot. Auguste Comte, philosopher, viewed religion as an early stage of human intelligence and science requires higher reasoning. Nietzsche too had the same view, more or less: religion is emotionally easier and science demands courage and strength.

“Carl Sagan was more receptive to religion,” Gen Z said. Sagan was one of his favourite writers. “He said science could be compatible with spirituality if it didn’t require so much scepticism.”

“Sagan would have said that religion offered more appealing narratives than science,” grandpa added.

“Yes, and Sagan is such a gripping writer of pure science.”

“Reason and imagination can coexist, can’t they?”

*

The above is a purely imaginary conversation. The book I’m reading now is Gauhar Raza’s From Myths to Science. The conversation took place within me as I completed the chapter on the origin of the universe. As I was reading the book, I remembered with nostalgia some intelligent discussions that took place in my classes – long ago. This post is an outcome of that nostalgia. I wonder whether such conversations are possible anymore; I notice the increasing contempt that Gen Z seems to have [in my personal observation] for old people.