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Article ID: CBB000471125

The Problem of Ontology for Spontaneous Collapse Theories (2004)

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
Volume: 35
Pages: 407--421

DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsb.2004.03.001

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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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