Quantum Theory And The Flight From Realism

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Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism

Author : Christopher Norris
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2002-11-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781134595259

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Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism by Christopher Norris Pdf

This book is a critical introduction to the long-standing debate concerning the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics and the problems it has posed for physicists and philosophers from Einstein to the present. Quantum theory has been a major infulence on postmodernism, and presents significant problems for realists. Keeping his own realist position in check, Christopher Norris subjects a wide range of key opponents and supporters of realism to a high and equal level of scrutiny. With a characteristic combination of rigour and intellectual generosity, he draws out the merits and weaknesses from opposing arguments. In a sequence of closely argued chapters, Norris examines the premises of orthodox quantum theory, as developed most influentially by Bohr and Heisenberg, and its impact on varous philosophical developments. These include the ideas developed by W.V Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Michael Dummett, Bas van Fraassen, and Hilary Puttnam. In each case, Norris argues, these thinkers have been influenced by the orthodox construal of quantum mechanics as requiring drastic revision of principles which had hitherto defined the very nature of scientific method, causal explanati and rational enquiry. Putting the case for a realist approach which adheres to well-tried scientific principles of causal reasoning and inference to the best explanation, Christopher Norris clarifies these debates to a non-specialist readership and scholars of philosophy, science studies and the philosophy of science alike. Quantum Theory and the Flight From Realism suggests that philosophical reflection can contribute to a better understanding of these crucial, current issues.

Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism

Author : Christopher Norris
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2002-11-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781134595242

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Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism by Christopher Norris Pdf

This book is a critical introduction to the long-standing debate concerning the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics and the problems it has posed for physicists and philosophers from Einstein to the present. Quantum theory has been a major infulence on postmodernism, and presents significant problems for realists. Keeping his own realist position in check, Christopher Norris subjects a wide range of key opponents and supporters of realism to a high and equal level of scrutiny. With a characteristic combination of rigour and intellectual generosity, he draws out the merits and weaknesses from opposing arguments. In a sequence of closely argued chapters, Norris examines the premises of orthodox quantum theory, as developed most influentially by Bohr and Heisenberg, and its impact on varous philosophical developments. These include the ideas developed by W.V Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Michael Dummett, Bas van Fraassen, and Hilary Puttnam. In each case, Norris argues, these thinkers have been influenced by the orthodox construal of quantum mechanics as requiring drastic revision of principles which had hitherto defined the very nature of scientific method, causal explanati and rational enquiry. Putting the case for a realist approach which adheres to well-tried scientific principles of causal reasoning and inference to the best explanation, Christopher Norris clarifies these debates to a non-specialist readership and scholars of philosophy, science studies and the philosophy of science alike. Quantum Theory and the Flight From Realism suggests that philosophical reflection can contribute to a better understanding of these crucial, current issues.

Bell's Theorem and Quantum Realism

Author : Douglas L. Hemmick,Asif M. Shakur
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 104 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2011-10-02
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642234682

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Bell's Theorem and Quantum Realism by Douglas L. Hemmick,Asif M. Shakur Pdf

Quantum theory presents a strange picture of the world, offering no real account of physical properties apart from observation. Neils Bohr felt that this reflected a core truth of nature: "There is no quantum world. There is only an abstract mathematical description." Among the most significant developments since Bohr’s day has been the theorem of John S. Bell. It is important to consider whether Bell’s analysis supports such a denial of microrealism. In this book, we evaluate the situation in terms of an early work of Erwin Schrödinger. Doing so, we see how Bell’s theorem is conceptually related to the Conway and Kochen Free Will theorem and also to all the major anti-realism efforts. It is easy to show that none of these analyses imply the impossibility of objective realism. We find that Schrödinger’s work leads to the derivation of a new series of theoretical proofs and potential experiments, each involving “entanglement,” the link between particles in some quantum systems. .

Quantum Mechanics Versus Local Realism

Author : F. Selleri
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 470 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2013-06-29
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781468487749

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Quantum Mechanics Versus Local Realism by F. Selleri Pdf

If you have two small objects, one here on Earth and the other on the planet Pluto, what would you say of the following statement: No modification of the properties of the object on the earth can take place as a consequence of an interaction of the distant object with a third body also located on Pluto? The opinion that the previous statement is correct is very natural, but modern quantum theory implies that it must be wrong in certain cases. Consider in fact two arbitrary objects separated by such a large distance that they are unable to exert any important mutual influence. It is possible to show rigorously that a measurable physical quantity exists, with a value more than 40% different from the value theoretically predicted by quantum mechanics. Necessarily then, either space is largely an illusion of our senses and it does not exist objectively, or information can be sent from the future to the past, or ... something important has to be changed in modern physics. This is the essence of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox. A paradox is an argument that derives absurd conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises. In the case of the EPR paradox the absurd conclusion is that Bell's observable d should have two different values d = 2.Ji and The "acceptable premises" are the following: 1. All the empirical predictions of the existing quantum theory are correct.

Probing the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics

Author : Diederik Aerts,Maria Luisa Dalla Chiara,Christian de Ronde,Décio Krause
Publisher : World Scientific Publishing
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2018-11-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789813276901

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Probing the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics by Diederik Aerts,Maria Luisa Dalla Chiara,Christian de Ronde,Décio Krause Pdf

This book provides an interdisciplinary perspective on one of the most fascinating and important open questions in science: What is quantum mechanics talking about? Quantum theory is perhaps our best confirmed physical theory. However, despite its great empirical effectiveness and the subsequent technological developments that it gave rise to in the 20th century, from the interpretation of the periodic table of elements to CD players, holograms and quantum state teleportation, it stands even today without a universally accepted interpretation. The novelty of the book comes from the multiple viewpoints and subjects investigated by a group of researchers from Europe and North and South America.

Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality

Author : Valia Allori
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 417 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2022-07-27
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783030996420

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Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality by Valia Allori Pdf

This edited collection provides new perspectives on some metaphysical questions arising in quantum mechanics. These questions have been long-standing and are of continued interest to researchers and graduate students working in physics, philosophy of physics, and metaphysics. It features contributions from a diverse set of researchers, ranging from senior scholars to junior academics, working in varied fields, from physics to philosophy of physics and metaphysics. The contributors reflect on issues about fundamentality (is quantum theory fundamental? If so, what is its fundamental ontology?), ontological dependence (how do ordinary objects exist even if they are not fundamental?), realism (what kind of realism is compatible with quantum theory?), indeterminacy (can the world itself exhibit ontological indeterminacy?). The book contains contributions from both physicists (including Nobel Prize winner Gerard 't Hooft), science communicators and philosophers.

Introduction to Dynamical Wave Function Collapse

Author : Philip Pearle
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2024-01-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780198901389

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Introduction to Dynamical Wave Function Collapse by Philip Pearle Pdf

Quantum theory (QT) is the best, most useful physics theory ever invented. For example, ubiquitous are cell phones, laser scanners, medical imagers, all inventions depending on QT. However, there is something deeply wrong with QT. It describes the probabilities of what happens, but it does not give a description of what actually happens. Most (but not all) physicists are not worried about this flaw, the probabilities are good enough for them. Other physicists, the author included, believe that is not good enough. The purpose of physics is to describe reality. To not do so is to abandon 'the great enterprise' (John Bell). This book shows one way to alter QT so that the new theory does describe what actually happens. This theory, created over three decades ago, has been called the 'Continuous Spontaneous Localization' (CSL) theory. Many experiments over this period have tested CSL, and so far it is neither confirmed nor refuted. This book shows how CSL works, and discusses its consequences. Ideal for academic students, graduates and practising scientists and physicists seeking a deeper understanding of the quantum realm, this book provides accessible explanations and sheds light on the interplay between probability and reality in the realm of quantum theory.

Reality Without Realism

Author : Arkady Plotnitsky
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 3030845796

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Reality Without Realism by Arkady Plotnitsky Pdf

This book presents quantum theory as a theory based on new relationships among matter, thought, and experimental technology, as against those previously found in physics, relationships that also redefine those between mathematics and physics in quantum theory. The argument of the book is based on its title concept, reality without realism (RWR), and in the corresponding view, the RWR view, of quantum theory. The book considers, from this perspective, the thinking of Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Dirac, with the aim of bringing together the philosophy and history of quantum theory. With quantum theory, the book argues, the architecture of thought in theoretical physics was radically changed by the irreducible role of experimental technology in the constitution of physical phenomena, accordingly, no longer defined independently by matter alone, as they were in classical physics or relativity. Or so it appeared. For, quantum theory, the book further argues, made us realize that experimental technology, beginning with that of our bodies, irreducibly shapes all physical phenomena, and thus makes us rethink the relationships among matter, thought, and technology in all of physics.

Probing the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics

Author : Diederik Aerts,Sven Aerts,Christian de Ronde
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2014-02-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789814596305

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Probing the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics by Diederik Aerts,Sven Aerts,Christian de Ronde Pdf

This book provides a new original perspective on one of the most fascinating and important open questions in science: What is quantum mechanics talking about? Quantum theory is perhaps our best confirmed physical theory. However, in spite of its great empirical effectiveness and the subsequent technological developments that it gave rise to in the 20th century, from the interpretation of the periodic table of elements to CD players, holograms and quantum state teleportation, it stands even today without a universally accepted interpretation. The novelty of the book comes from the multiple viewpoints and the original angles taken by a group of young researchers from Europe and South America who gathered for several years under the auspices of the Center Leo Apostel. Each member of the group presented ideas concerning the interpretation of quantum mechanics. We had discussions ranging from the philosophical underpinnings of local realism and holism, information and decision theoretic approaches to quantum theory all the way to the many worlds interpretation. Strikingly, in much the same way as different — and indeed incompatible observations are needed to fully describe the physical state of affairs in quantum mechanics — the various interpretations of the theory also seem to shed viable, but not necessarily compatible, perspectives on different aspects of the same grand framework. The discussions that followed were both technical and lively, but perhaps their most remarkable quality was the absence of rigid points of view that unfortunately seems to paralyze so much of the discussion in this area. This book is an expression which can be interesting not only to the specialists but also for the general public attempting to get a grasp on one of the still most fundamental questions of present physics. Contents:Do Quantum Dice Remember? (T Durt)Quantum Ontology in the Light of Gauge Theories (G Catren)The Probabilistic Structure of Quantum Theory as Originating from Optimal Observation in the Face of the Observer's Lack of Knowledge of His Own State (S Aerts)Quantum Realism, Information, and Epistemological Modesty (A Grinbaum)The Problem of Representation and Experience in Quantum Mechanics (C de Ronde)Bohrian Complementarity in the Light of Kantian Teleology (H Pringe)How Understanding Matters — Or Not (S Le Bihan)On the Orthocomplementation of State-Property-Systems of Contextual Systems (B D'Hooghe)The Deleuzian Concept of Structure and Quantum Mechanics (W A Christiaens)Understanding Probabilities in the Everett Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (A Barton)Metaphysical Underdetermination and Logical Determination: The Case of Quantum Mechanics (J R B Arenhart)Neither Name, Nor Number (F Holik)EPR Correlations, Bell Inequalities and Common Cause Systems (G Hofer-Szabó)A Logic-Algebraic Framework for Contextuality and Modality in Quantum Systems (H Freytes) Readership: Student, professional, and the general public interested in the quantum theory. Key Features:The constitution of the group is of mainly PhD students in Europe working in the physics, philosophy and logic of quantum theory. The group, though young, is technically skilled both in the formalism as well as in the traditional and contemporary philosophical discussions regarding the interpretation of quantum mechanics. It is such a constitution which can provide the conditions for a “fresh look” at the field of foundations of quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics is simply fascinating and remains even today an open problem for those who wish to seek for answersThe book will be a single unity, as it will be directed by “seeking understanding of quantum mechanics”, but it will also be wide and diverse in scope of topics and personal in choice and motivation of the topics handled, which is what makes this enterprise uniqueKeywords:Quantum Mechanics;Physics;Philosophy;Logic

The Principles of Quantum Theory, From Planck's Quanta to the Higgs Boson

Author : Arkady Plotnitsky
Publisher : Springer
Page : 313 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319320687

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The Principles of Quantum Theory, From Planck's Quanta to the Higgs Boson by Arkady Plotnitsky Pdf

The book considers foundational thinking in quantum theory, focusing on the role the fundamental principles and principle thinking there, including thinking that leads to the invention of new principles, which is, the book contends, one of the ultimate achievements of theoretical thinking in physics and beyond. The focus on principles, prominent during the rise and in the immediate aftermath of quantum theory, has been uncommon in more recent discussions and debates concerning it. The book argues, however, that exploring the fundamental principles and principle thinking is exceptionally helpful in addressing the key issues at stake in quantum foundations and the seemingly interminable debates concerning them. Principle thinking led to major breakthroughs throughout the history of quantum theory, beginning with the old quantum theory and quantum mechanics, the first definitive quantum theory, which it remains within its proper (nonrelativistic) scope. It has, the book also argues, been equally important in quantum field theory, which has been the frontier of quantum theory for quite a while now, and more recently, in quantum information theory, where principle thinking was given new prominence. The approach allows the book to develop a new understanding of both the history and philosophy of quantum theory, from Planck’s quantum to the Higgs boson, and beyond, and of the thinking the key founding figures, such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Dirac, as well as some among more recent theorists. The book also extensively considers the nature of quantum probability, and contains a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, “the statistical Copenhagen interpretation.” Overall, the book’s argument is guided by what Heisenberg called “the spirit of Copenhagen,” which is defined by three great divorces from the preceding foundational thinking in physics—reality from realism, probability from causality, and locality from relativity—and defined the fundamental principles of quantum theory accordingly.

Philosophy of Language and the Challenge to Scientific Realism

Author : Christopher Norris
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0415327857

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Philosophy of Language and the Challenge to Scientific Realism by Christopher Norris Pdf

In this book Christopher Norris develops the case for scientific realism by tackling various adversary arguments from a range of anti-realist positions. Through a close critical reading he shows how they fail to make adequate sense on any rational, consistent, and scientifically-informed survey of the evidence. Along the way he incorporates a number of detailed case-studies from the history and philosophy of science. Norris devotes much of his discussion to some of the most prominent and widely influential source-texts of anti-realism. Also included are the sophisticated versions of verificationism developed - albeit in very different ways - by thinkers such as Michael Dummett and Bas van Fraassen. Central to Norris's argument is a prolonged engagement with the once highly influential but nowadays neglected work of Norwood Russell Hanson. This book will be welcomed especially by readers who possess some knowledge of the background debate and who wish to deepen and extend their understanding of these issues beyond an introductory level.

Truth Matters

Author : Norris Christopher Norris
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2019-08-06
Category : Judgment
ISBN : 9781474471367

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Truth Matters by Norris Christopher Norris Pdf

Truth Matters is the first full-length introduction to response-dependence, a topic that has become a main focus of interest for philosophers across a wide range of disciplines and subject areas.The response-dependence claim, in brief, is to provide a 'third way' between the realist (or objectivist) conception of truth as always potentially transcending the limits of human ascertainment and the anti-realist (or verificationist) case that truth cannot possibly transcend those limits since then we could never acquire or manifest a knowledge of it.While setting out the issues clearly and concisely, Norris also provides some relevant background history to this current debate, including discussion of its sources and analogues in Plato, Locke, Kant and Wittgenstein. His book offers invaluable guidance for student readers in search of a reliable introductory survey of the field. Among those with a more specialist interest it may sometimes provoke disagreement, as when Norris argues that the response-dependence approach often goes along with a disguised anti-realist bias and hence fails to make good on its 'third-way' promise. However, its combination of wide-ranging coverage with clarity of focus and depth of philosophical treatment will be welcomed.Key Features:*Clear, accessible account of some complex philosophical issues;*First book-length study of the response-dependence debate;*Informative discussion of its pre-history in philosophers from Plato to Hume, Locke and Kant;*Aimed at readers seeking a reliable, well-informed introductory account while relevant to those with a more specialist knowledge of the topic.

The Metaphysics of Quantum Theory

Author : Henry Krips
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 1987
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UVA:X002533112

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The Metaphysics of Quantum Theory by Henry Krips Pdf

This book outlines the contours of the debate between Bohr's "orthodox" and Einstein's "realist" explanation of quantum theory, presenting a revised interpretation that resolves most of the paradoxes associated with quantum theory.

Quantum Mechanics’ Return to Local Realism

Author : Runsheng Tu
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2018-10-19
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781527519978

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Quantum Mechanics’ Return to Local Realism by Runsheng Tu Pdf

This book proposes a model of the light knot electronic structure and the theory of quantum inverse measurement, showing that diffraction experiments can be explained by directional quantization. It points out that there exists a logical loophole in the interpretation process of quantum entanglement, and proves that there is a paradox in the uncertainty relationship. As such, the book lays the foundation for the establishment of local-realism quantum mechanics and successfully establishes the quantum mechanics of localized realism and determinism is successfully established. It will appeal to university students, teachers, and scientists, as well as science lovers.

Education Policy and Realist Social Theory

Author : Robert Archer
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2018-05-04
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781134493548

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Education Policy and Realist Social Theory by Robert Archer Pdf

In Europe welfare state provision has been subjected to 'market forces'. Over the last two decades, the framework of economic competitiveness has become the defining aim of education, to be achieved by new managerialist techniques and mechanisms. This book thoughtfully and persuasively argues against this new vision of education, and offers a different, more useful potential approach. This in-depth major study will be of great interest to researchers in the sociology of education, education policy, social theory, organization and management studies, and also to professionals concerned about the deleterious impact of current education policy on children's learning and welfare.