[Fic] "Vision (Quantum State Collapse) -- Harry Potter

[edenfalling]

This is yet another piece of "Fixation, and Other Stories." In other words, it's a thirtyforthree fic, despite there being nothing more than the barest hints of G/H/D, and it being entirely from Hermione's POV. It occurs in the same continuity as Touch, but the two stories aren't dependent on each other.

( Vision (Quantum State Collapse) )

It's kinda-sorta a deathfic, but that's not the important thing. It's really about friendship. (Well, if I've done my job right it's about friendship. I had to tweak a couple lines to remove some inadvertent H/Hr subtext; annearchy, you're corrupting me!)

"Vision (Quantum State Collapse)" also focuses on speculations on the mechanics of certain Potterverse artifacts. I used one theory within the story, but I've made notes about the other as well, since there's a certain incident in PoA that changes things depending on how you interpret it. If I've forgotten anything that would change my conclusions, please tell me!

Comments

[edenfalling]

The 'quantum' bit is the effect of an observer on a system, or on a really technical level, the effect of a particle on other particles. Because we can't observe things without light or some form of electromagnetic radiation to sort of 'scout' the phenomenon and give us a report... but electromagnetic radiation will change the phenomenon it impacts, so there are some things we can only 'see' by their effects, since trying to watch them changes how they occur.

Or something like that. It's been a while since I did hard science seriously. *sigh*

I was also theorizing about the effects of knowledge, which brings up the question of what, exactly knowledge is... and nobody has yet come up with a completely satisfactory answer to that question. The standard response is that knowledge is justified true belief, but that runs into problems like the Gettier Paradox.

Imagine, for example, that you see a sheep in a field. You know, therefore, that there is a sheep in that field. However! The 'sheep' is really a dog dressed up in a sheepskin (don't ask why; it's not relevant) so your belief, while justified, is not true. That's clear so far as it goes, right?

But now imagine that behind a hill, still in the same field, there is a real sheep. So your belief about a sheep being in the field really is true.

You have a belief that a sheep is in the field. It's a true belief. It's also a justified belief, since you see an animal that looks like a sheep. But is it really knowledge? Your justification is false -- the 'sheep' you see is really a disguised dog -- and your belief is only true because of a compensating accident. So knowledge must include something more than justified true belief... but what?

Philosophers have been arguing about this for millennia.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

And you let herm ione go on about this stuff ina fic? godo heavens.
I'm affraid I completely lost you tough. It went abittoo far. I fi thin ktoo log nabout is i end up feelign liek nothig nis definable adn secureany more. (it remidns me of vague memories fo mbyrother tryign ot explai nsome stuffrom plato about hwo we're all playign i nsomeone else's dream or the hwoel existence of us is fake or somethign alogn those lines.) adn so i ended withe thogut of 'nature is some kdi nof ancient power that jsut usesand reuses/recyclesus as pawns in some kind of big plan.) adn not i nthe positive way of 'we're set on this planet to make somethign of it' but ina way of 'w're being enslaved to help acieve something.) 9or are we? I mean the whoel we're set out to amek something isnt' workign otu anyway. ther's not amn yof us who are doign our best abouti tthen are there/) yikes. i ahte this mood. it suits goths, not me. if id' write fic tonight it woudl be so dark I'd probab scare msyelf when irereadit aweek later.

[edenfalling]

No, I didn't include the Gettier Paradox in the fic. I just thought I'd mention here it since it ties into the problem of what, exactly, fixes an event so firmly that a person can't change it with a Time Turner.

When I get into philosophical conundrums, I tend to fall back on the classical skepticism of Sextus Empiricus, which states that for all practical purposes, it doesn't really matter that we can't define knowledge or be sure that the world around us is real. It seems real, and affects us as if it's real, so you might as well act as though it's real, stop worrying about abstract questions, and get on with your life. *grin*

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

I thin ki shoudl pin that-oen tothe wall. specialy nwo that i've bee nso frustrated by stuf that went too far above me that it literaly drovem eto tears. :P 9Iam lie kthat .i'm apparnelt yo elry obsessd with stuf idon't know. i 'mals oobsessed withthinkign how wrong that is and with comparing msyefl to other and well yo uget m ydrift).