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Third Law of Universal Variance

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The Third Law of Universal Variance (also called the Bystander Paradox) is a credo of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It states that any phenomenon that a servant of the Mechanicus observes is affected by that servant's presence and observation. It is therefore impossible to observe an object, organism or event in its completely "natural" state, regardless of how remote the observation is.[1]

During the War of the Beast, at least one Mechanicus explorator vessel remained in orbit above Ardamantua, remaining invisible to both the invading orks and the decimated Imperial forces there. The ship's astropath, Orm de Zut, protested at remaining concealed while other Imperial servants were dying, but his superior, Lutron Vydel, said they were under strict orders, and if the unfolding events could not be completely unaffected by the ship's presence, they had to be as close to invisible as possible.[1]

Trivia

  • The Third Law of Universal Variance is an obvious analogue to the Observer effect, noted in the early 20th century, that it is impossible to observe the actions of some physical bodies without also affecting them (it is often confused with the similar Heisenberg uncertainty principle, coined in 1927 by its namesake, Werner Heisenberg).

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