By some interpretations, Schrodinger's equations describe epistemological state from a given (finite) perspective. So it's not so much that the cat is both aliv

By some interpretations, Schrodinger's equations describe epistemological state from a given (finite) perspective. So it's not so much that the cat is both alive and dead, it's that the best we can say is that it's alive or dead. This is referred to as "quantum Bayesianism" aka QBism (pronounced "cubism"). "Observer" just refers to anything that has a direct causal connection with the thing being "observed". No consciousness necessary (grr...). If something isn't being "observed" then for all intents and purposes it exists outside of our universe and any questions about it become fundamentally irrelevant.