  Quantum Mechanics, the physical theory describing the microworld, represents
one of science's greatest triumphs. It lies at the root of all modern digital
technologies and offers unparalleled correspondence between prediction and
experiments. Remarkably, however, after more than 100 years it is still unclear
what quantum mechanics means in terms of basic philosophical questions about
the nature of reality. While there are many interpretations of the mathematical
machinery of quantum physics, there remains no experimental means to
distinguish between most of them.
  In this contribution, (based on a discussion at the NYAS), I wish to consider
the ways in which the enduring lack of an agreed upon interpretation of quantum
physics influences a number of critical philosophical debates about physics and
reality. I briefly review two problems effected by quantum interpretations: the
meaning of the term 'Universe' and the nature of consciousness. In what follows
I am explicitly not advocating for any particular quantum interpretation.
Instead, I am interested in how the explicit inability of modern physics to
experimentally distinguish between interpretations with wildly divergent
ontological/epistemological implications plays into discussions of physics and
its description of the world.
