7 Things You Should Never Say To A Scientist

4. Well Scientists Think That Quantum Physics Explains The Soul

Even worse than the almost willful misinterpretation of "theory", is the commandeering of scientific concepts to support woo.

Quantum physics is the worst for it. This is largely due to its slightly ethereal public image, with terms like "quantum weirdness", "indeterminacy", "uncertainty" and paradoxes such as Schrodinger's Cat.

There's usually a lot of mileage in the principle of wavefunction collapse, in that the act of observation "determines" the state of quantum particles. People have taken this and run with it, coming up with the various ways humans consciousness can manipulate reality itself. In reality, it has nothing to do with consciousness, the observation could be, and is, made by a detector.

Anyway, regardless of which bit of science you decide to smash together with spiritualism (yes, including "we're all made of star stuff", Sagan would be appalled), don't.