Fundamental physical ontologies and the constraint of empirical coherence: a defense of wave function realism

This paper defends wave function realism against the charge that the view is empirically incoherent because our evidence for quantum theory involves facts about objects in three-dimensional space or space-time (local beables). It also criticizes previous attempts to defend wave function realism against this charge by claiming that the wave function is capable of grounding local beables as elements of a derivative ontology.

[1]  D. Albert.  Elementary Quantum Metaphysics , 1996 .

[2]  D. Albert.  Quantum Mechanics and Experience , 1992 .

[3]  J. Bell,et al.  Speakable and Unspeakable in Quatum Mechanics , 1988 .

[4]  W. Zurek.  Decoherence and the Transition from Quantum to Classical—Revisited , 2003, quant-ph/0306072.

[5]  D. Wallace.  Protecting cognitive science from quantum theory , 2004, Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

[6]  Bradley Monton,et al.  Quantum Mechanics and 3 N -Dimensional Space , 2006 .

[7]  Jill North.  The Structure of a Quantum World , 2012 .

[8]  James T. Cushing,et al.  Bohmian mechanics and quantum theory: an appraisal , 1996 .

[9]  Bradley Monton,et al.  Quantum Mechanics and 3N‐Dimensional Space , 2006, Philosophy of Science.

[10]  D. Albert.  Wave Function Realism , 2013 .

[11]  Theodore Sider,et al.  Writing the Book of the World , 2011 .

[12]  T. Maudlin.  Can the World be Only Wavefunction , 2010 .

[13]  R. Healey.  Can Physics Coherently Deny the Reality of Time? , 2002, Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement.

[14]  S. Goldstein,et al.  On the Common Structure of Bohmian Mechanics and the Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber Theory , 2006, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.

[15]  Alyssa Ney,et al.  The Wave Function: Essays in the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics , 2013 .

[16]  R. Omnes.  Decoherence and Ontology , 2019, Synthese Library.

[17]  K. Popper,et al.  The Logic of Scientific Discovery , 1960 .

[18]  M. Kardar,et al.  Directed paths on percolation clusters , 1992 .

[19]  D. Dürr,et al.  Quantum equilibrium and the origin of absolute uncertainty , 1992, quant-ph/0308039.

[20]  Alyssa Ney,et al.  Does an Adequate Physical Theory Demand a Primitive Ontology? , 2013, Philosophy of Science.

[21]  Jeffrey A. Barrett,et al.  Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics , 2009, Compendium of Quantum Physics.

[22]  Jaegwon Kim.  Physicalism, or Something Near Enough , 2005 .

[23]  Jeffrey A. Barrett,et al.  The Quantum Mechanics of Minds and Worlds , 2000 .

[24]  C. Sachse.  Physicalism, or Something Near Enough – Jaegwon Kim , 2006 .

[25]  T. Maudlin.  Completeness, supervenience and ontology , 2007 .

[26]  A. Ney.  The Status of our Ordinary Three Dimensions in a Quantum Universe 1 , 2012 .

[27]  David Wallace,et al.  Quantum Mechanics on Spacetime I: Spacetime State Realism , 2009, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.

[28]  A. Kent,et al.  Many worlds? : Everett, quantum theory, and reality , 2010 .