Measurement and Observation: From Collapse to Relational Actualisation

Measurement in quantum mechanics has long been a conceptual challenge. Traditional accounts invoke wavefunction collapse or observer-induced reduction—often framed in terms that reify particles as discrete objects affected by an external observer. Such views generate paradoxes and puzzles about the role of the observer, objectivity, and reality itself.

A relational ontology offers a fresh perspective: measurement is not a mysterious “collapse” of an independent object’s state, but a punctuation of relational potential into an actualised configuration within a network of constraints.

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1. The Measurement Problem: Classical vs Quantum Views

Classically, measurement simply reveals pre-existing properties of objects. Quantum mechanics complicates this:

• The wavefunction encodes potentialities, not definite properties,

• Measurement outcomes are probabilistic, not predetermined,

• The “collapse” appears discontinuous and observer-dependent.

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2. Relational Actualisation

In relational terms:

• The quantum system, measuring apparatus, and observer form an inseparable relational network,

• Measurement is a process of mutual actualisation—where potential relations resolve into concrete states,

• There is no absolute state “before” measurement; the system’s properties emerge in and through interaction.

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3. Observer as Relational Participant

The observer is not a detached entity but an active participant:

• Observations are co-constructed within the relational field,

• Objectivity arises from intersubjective coherence among relational configurations,

• The boundary between observer and observed is fluid and context-dependent.

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4. Implications for Objectivity and Reality

This view:

• Undermines simplistic realism about isolated quantum objects,

• Suggests reality is constituted through networks of interactions,

• Elevates process and relation over substance and permanence.

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5. Towards a Relational Epistemology

Measurement highlights how knowledge is:

• Situated within relational contexts,

• Emergent from dynamic interactions rather than passive reception,

• Always provisional, contingent on relational actualisations.

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Closing

Measurement is less about revealing pre-existing “truths” and more about bringing forth particular relational configurations from a field of potentials. This reorientation dissolves classical paradoxes and aligns quantum observation with a coherent, relational ontology.

Next, we will examine how this relational approach informs our understanding of quantum information and communication.