Category: Queer Theory

Claiming that sex is rooted in gametes is arbitrary, outdated, and oppressive. So says this Drag Queen: ‘Reality is a social construct with no real, fixed foundation.’ Quantum Physics shows the way…

Uh huh.

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Quantum physics to Newtonian physics is, to me, what queer theory is to heteronormativity, i.e. looking for normative constructs of society – male, female, of gender, of race categorizing everything in a neat, rigid way. I am very comforted by this as a queer person with no real fixed identity. It gives me immense hope that there’s this model of the world. This real physical, philosophical model which shows us that reality is just a set of contradictions with no real fixed foundation.

Amrou Al-Kadhi or Glamrou.

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My Take

We can land a space explorer on Mars using only the insights of Newtonian physics. Nothing we learn from quantum physics is necessary to do that. There is actually quite a lot of certainty built into the structure of the Universe. Observed ‘bizarre’ activity at the sub-atomic level could perhaps be interpreted as evidence of the possibility of genuine freedom in the physical Universe. Perhaps.

Of course, we humans are not free to fly. The ‘givens’ of human nature may be philosophically rejected but life won’t end well if they are.

Particle Behavior & Human Identity

The principles and phenomena observed in quantum physics, such as superposition¹At the subatomic level, particles can indeed exist in multiple states or places at once, a phenomenon known as superposition. and entanglement²Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where particles become interconnected and the state of one instantly influences the state of another, no matter how far apart they are. This phenomenon is a physical property of particles and doesn’t translate directly to human experiences or identities., are confined to the realm of subatomic particles and do not have direct parallels in macroscopic systems, including biological entities. While these principles can inspire philosophical discussions and metaphorical interpretations, as the Drag Queen above has done, it is scientifically inaccurate to apply them directly to explain or justify behaviors and phenomena at the biological or sociocultural level.

The transition from the quantum scale to the macroscopic scale involves a complex interplay of numerous forces and factors, and the behaviors observed at the quantum level do not manifest in the same way in larger, more complex systems.

Therefore, using quantum physics as a basis to explain human identity or behavior is more of a poetic or philosophical endeavor rather than a scientifically grounded argument.

To say the discoveries of quantum physics justifies random, bizarre, unpredictable behavior at the more complex biological level distorts Reality.

Again, try jumping off a building and see if you can fly. A ‘fixed foundation’ will impede your flight. There will be nothing ‘probabilistic’ about it. The quantum ‘principle of indeterminacy’³A principle that underscores the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics, where outcomes are not determined until a measurement is made, and it challenges the deterministic view of the universe as proposed by classical physics. It introduces a level of fundamental unpredictability and randomness in the behavior of particles at the quantum level. will be of no use to you then. We can know with certainty the flight of your biological system will end soon and suddenly.

You may identify as a bird, but you are not.

At the human level, there are few things in the natural world more empirically ‘nailed down’ than the mammalian male/female sex-binary. Without that natural coupling, i.e. without heteronormativity, we would cease to exist as a species. And all talk about expressive freedom & ‘oppressive’ social constructions would be impossible.

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God Made A Beautiful, Organized, Predictable World