Article ID: CBB000471125

The Problem of Ontology for Spontaneous Collapse Theories (2004)

unapi

The question of how to interpret spontaneous collapse theories of quantum mechanics is an open one. One issue involves what link one should use to go from wave function talk to talk of ordinary macroscopic objects. Another issue involves whether that link should be taken ontologically seriously. In this paper, I argue that the link should be taken ontologically seriously; I argue against an ontology consisting solely of the wave function. I then consider three possible links: the fuzzy link, the accessible mass density link, and the mass density simpliciter link. I show that the first two links have serious anomalies which render them unacceptable. I show that the mass density simpliciter link, in contrast, is viable.

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Authors & Contributors
Deckert, Dirk-Andre
Zafiris, Elias
Joshua Norton
David Merritt
Gao, Shan
Esfeld, Michael
Concepts
Quantum mechanics
Ontology
Philosophy of science
Physics
Explanation; hypotheses; theories
Philosophy
Time Periods
21st century
20th century
19th century
20th century, early
Medieval
20th century, late
Places
England
Germany
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