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Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics
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Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics

A special issue of Philosophies (ISSN 2409-9287).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 10076

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rafael A. Alemañ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, Universidad de Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Interests: scientific philosophy; history and foundations of science; scientific culture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since its very birth, at the beginning of the 20th century, quantum theory and its subsequent developments have been the subject of intense controversy regarding its correct interpretation and the metaphysical conclusions that could be drawn from it. Surprisingly—or perhaps not so much—this situation has hardly changed after more than a century of debates and discussions. For this reason, the journal Philosophies is currently preparing the launch of the Special Issue entitled Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics, in which we propose to take a fresh look at old problems in the hope of illuminating upon them from different perspectives.

The philosophical problems raised by quantum physics are many and varied: What are the trends in competing philosophies for the interpretation of the quantum world? Is an objective formalization of the theory possible, or will we be always compelled to appeal to the intervention of an external observer? What does Schrödinger’s cat tell us about the problem of measurement and the demarcation between the quantum and the classical realms? Is the wave function a mere calculation tool or does it represent some physically real entity? Does quantum entanglement prevent a causal description of reality? Are Heisenberg’s inequalities a statement about our experimental limitations or do they point to something deeper? Is the probabilistic aspect of quantum theory genuinely compatible with the spatiotemporal view of relativity? Does it make sense to apply quantum considerations to the universe as a whole, or should we wait until we discover a theory that unifies all the fundamental forces of nature?

These and many others are the questions that quantum physics that remain open in the 21st century. In this Special Issue of Philosophies, we attempt to offer a compilation of such questions and their answers with the purpose of satisfying both specialists and neophytes interested in the subject while glimpsing, perhaps, what the future holds for us in this intricate but fascinating domain of science.

Dr. Rafael A. Alemañ
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Philosophies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wave function
  • collapse
  • entanglement
  • realism
  • objectivism
  • subjectivism
  • instrumentalism
  • causality
  • determinism
  • space–time

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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20 pages, 323 KiB  
Article
Quantum Mechanics and Inclusive Materialism
by Javier Pérez-Jara
Philosophies 2024, 9(5), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9050140 - 3 Sep 2024
Viewed by 2044
Abstract
Since its inception, the intricate mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics has empowered physicists to describe and predict specific physical events known as quantum processes. However, this success in probabilistic predictions has been accompanied by a profound challenge in the ontological interpretation of the [...] Read more.
Since its inception, the intricate mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics has empowered physicists to describe and predict specific physical events known as quantum processes. However, this success in probabilistic predictions has been accompanied by a profound challenge in the ontological interpretation of the theory. This interpretative complexity stems from two key aspects. Firstly, quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory that, so far, is not derivable from any more basic scientific theory. Secondly, it delves into a realm of invisible phenomena that often contradicts our intuitive and commonsensical notions of matter and causality. Despite its notorious difficulties of interpretation, the most widely accepted set of views of quantum phenomena has been known as the Copenhagen interpretation since the beginning of quantum mechanics. According to these views, the correct ontological interpretation of quantum mechanics is incompatible with ontological realism in general and with philosophical materialism in particular. Anti-realist and anti-materialist interpretations of quantum matter have survived until today. This paper discusses these perspectives, arguing that materialistic interpretations of quantum mechanics are compatible with its mathematical formalism, while anti-realist and anti-materialist views are based on wrong philosophical assumptions. However, although physicalism provides a better explanation for quantum phenomena than idealism, its downward reductionism prevents it from accounting for more complex forms of matter, such as biological or sociocultural systems. Thus, the paper argues that neither physicalism nor idealism can explain the universe. I propose then a non-reductionistic form of materialism called inclusive materialism. The conclusion is that the acknowledgment of the qualitative irreducibility of ontological emergent levels above the purely physical one does not deny philosophical materialism but enriches it. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics)
18 pages, 1268 KiB  
Article
The EPR-Bell Experiments: The Role of Counterfactuality and Probability in the Context of Actually Conducted Experiments
by Anthony J. Leggett
Philosophies 2024, 9(5), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9050133 - 27 Aug 2024
Viewed by 771
Abstract
Some aspects of the concepts of counterfactuality and probability are explored as they apply to the specific example of the famous “EPR-Bell” experiments realized by physicists over the last half-century. In particular the question is raised: what hypotheses about actually conducted experiments do [...] Read more.
Some aspects of the concepts of counterfactuality and probability are explored as they apply to the specific example of the famous “EPR-Bell” experiments realized by physicists over the last half-century. In particular the question is raised: what hypotheses about actually conducted experiments do the results exclude? It is argued that the answer depends on both whether these hypotheses are deterministic or stochastic, and on the “cardinality” of the experiment relative to the theory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics)
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24 pages, 357 KiB  
Article
Quantum Mechanics, Fields, Black Holes, and Ontological Plurality
by Gustavo E. Romero
Philosophies 2024, 9(4), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9040097 - 4 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1915
Abstract
The ontology behind quantum mechanics has been the subject of endless debate since the theory was formulated some 100 years ago. It has been suggested, at one time or another, that the objects described by the theory may be individual particles, waves, fields, [...] Read more.
The ontology behind quantum mechanics has been the subject of endless debate since the theory was formulated some 100 years ago. It has been suggested, at one time or another, that the objects described by the theory may be individual particles, waves, fields, ensembles of particles, observers, and minds, among many other possibilities. I maintain that these disagreements are due in part to a lack of precision in the use of the theory’s various semantic designators. In particular, there is some confusion about the role of representation, reference, and denotation in the theory. In this article, I first analyze the role of the semantic apparatus in physical theories in general and then discuss the corresponding ontological implications for quantum mechanics. Subsequently, I consider the extension of the theory to quantum fields and then analyze the semantic changes of the designators with their ontological consequences. In addition to the classical arguments to rule out a particle ontology in the case of non-relativistic quantum field theory, I show how the existence of black holes makes the proposal of a particle ontology in general spacetimes unfeasible. I conclude by proposing a provisional pluralistic ontology of fields and spacetime and discussing some prospects for possible future ontological economies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics)
15 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
The Hidden Clash: Spacetime Outlook and Quantum-State Reductions
by Rafael Andrés Alemañ-Berenguer
Philosophies 2024, 9(3), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9030079 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 3177
Abstract
It is generally assumed that compatibility with special relativity is guaranteed by the invariance of the fundamental equations of quantum physics under Lorentz transformations and the impossibility of transferring energy or information faster than the speed of light. Despite this, various contradictions persist, [...] Read more.
It is generally assumed that compatibility with special relativity is guaranteed by the invariance of the fundamental equations of quantum physics under Lorentz transformations and the impossibility of transferring energy or information faster than the speed of light. Despite this, various contradictions persist, which make us suspect the solidity of that compatibility. This paper focuses on collapse theories—although they are not the only way of interpreting quantum theory—in order to examine what seems to be insurmountable difficulties we encounter when trying to construct a space–time picture of such typically quantum processes as state vector reduction or the non-separability of entangled systems. The inescapable nature of such difficulties suggests the need to go further in the search for new formulations that surpass our current conceptions of matter and space–time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics)
14 pages, 370 KiB  
Article
Leibniz’s Principle, (Non-)Entanglement, and Pauli Exclusion
by Cord Friebe
Philosophies 2024, 9(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9020045 - 29 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1136
Abstract
Both bosons and fermions satisfy a strong version of Leibniz’s Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles (PII), and so are ontologically on a par with respect to the PII. This holds for non-entangled, non-product states and for physically entangled states—as it has been [...] Read more.
Both bosons and fermions satisfy a strong version of Leibniz’s Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles (PII), and so are ontologically on a par with respect to the PII. This holds for non-entangled, non-product states and for physically entangled states—as it has been established in previous work. In this paper, the Leibniz strategy is completed by including the (bosonic) symmetric product states. A new understanding of Pauli’s Exclusion Principle is provided, which distinguishes bosons from fermions in a peculiar ontological way. Finally, the program as a whole is defended against substantial objections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics)
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