According to The Economist, in a special two-part podcast series marking the centenary of quantum physics, physicist Vlatko Vedral is addressing what he calls the field’s “biggest problem.” The issue is the glaring inconsistency between the quantum rules governing the smallest particles and the classical, Newtonian rules describing everything from people to planets. Vedral, a professor at the University of Oxford and author of “Portals to a New Reality,” joined host and science editor Alok Jha to explain his radical vision for bridging these two worlds. The core debate revolves around the very nature of reality itself, a problem that has persisted for a full 100 years since quantum theory’s inception. The immediate impact of this unresolved boundary is a fundamental lack of a consistent, unified understanding of how the universe actually works.
Reality Check
Here’s the thing that’s always bugged me about this quantum-classical split. We’re told one set of rules runs the subatomic show, and then, poof, at some undefined boundary, the old familiar rules take over. But who ordered that? Where’s the line? Vedral’s push to fix this isn’t just academic navel-gazing. It strikes at the heart of what we consider real. If quantum weirdness—like superposition and entanglement—just “disappears” as things get bigger, what does that say about the foundation of everything? Basically, we’ve been using two incompatible instruction manuals for the same universe, and that’s a pretty glaring design flaw for a theory that’s otherwise wildly successful.
Beyond The Lab
So why should anyone outside a physics department care? Well, the technologies born from the first quantum revolution—think lasers and transistors—already underpin our modern world. Now, we’re aiming for a second revolution: quantum computing, ultra-secure communication, sensors of insane precision. But if our core theory has a giant, unresolved crack running right down its middle, how confidently can we build the future on it? It’s like trying to construct a skyscraper when you’re not entirely sure how gravity works at different scales. Resolving this could unlock not just new gadgets, but a fundamentally new way of processing information and understanding our place in the cosmos. That’s a stakeholder impact for literally everyone.
A Unified Vision
Vedral’s approach seems to be about tearing down the wall instead of just patching it. The classical world shouldn’t be a separate regime; it should emerge *from* the quantum one in a seamless, mathematically consistent way. I think the radical part is admitting that maybe our concept of “reality” needs an upgrade, not just our equations. It’s a huge, philosophical lift. And look, this isn’t a problem you solve in a single podcast episode or even a single career. But marking 100 years of quantum mechanics is the perfect time to admit the job is unfinished. The next century of physics probably depends on fixing this very old, very deep inconsistency. Now, that’s a project worth following.
