Politics and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, formulated by physicist Werner Heisenberg in 1927, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what can be known simultaneously about certain pairs of physical properties—like a particle’s position and momentum. This principle isn’t a flaw in measurement, but a fundamental characteristic of nature itself. This same kind of uncertainty seems to describe our political life today.

President Marcos recently described himself as “the luckiest person I know” because of his family and experiences—even saying he wouldn’t want to have been born into any other family. But this declaration reveals a deeper problem. Just as in quantum mechanics, where observing one quantity disturbs another, in Philippine governance, examining our leaders’ pedigree and measuring the prospects of our nation seem mutually exclusive. The more attention we give to political rhetoric, the more uncertain we become about genuine progress.

The Marcos name is tied to one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history: authoritarian rule under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., with documented human rights abuses, suppression of dissent, and massive corruption that crippled the economy and eroded public trust.

Today, corruption continues to undermine our outlook. Questionable infrastructure projects have sparked public outrage, with calls for transparency and accountability.

If we cannot reconcile the pride in political lineage with the challenges of corruption and unequal development, our confidence in the nation’s direction remains fundamentally uncertain— like trying to precisely measure both position and momentum in a quantum system.

As a student and a young Filipino passionate about physics, mathematics, and the future of our country, I want more than optimism based on heritage or nostalgia. I want leadership, accountability, and justice beyond rhetoric.

Justice shouldn’t be something that exists only in speeches; it must be real, visible, and complete to reduce the uncertainty in our political system and truly measure our leaders’ capabilities and national prospects with confidence.

Heisenberg said some uncertainty is inherent. But that doesn’t mean we must accept it. Let us instead strive to reduce it through transparency, accountability, and accountable leadership.