Skip to main content
Log in

The Free Will Theorem

  • Published:
Foundations of Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

On the basis of three physical axioms, we prove that if the choice of a particular type of spin 1 experiment is not a function of the information accessible to the experimenters, then its outcome is equally not a function of the information accessible to the particles. We show that this result is robust, and deduce that neither hidden variable theories nor mechanisms of the GRW type for wave function collapse can be made relativistic and causal. We also establish the consistency of our axioms and discuss the philosophical implications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Maudlin T. (1994). Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity. Blackwell, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  2. Curie P. (1894). J. Phys. (Paris) 3:393

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Greenberger D.M., Horne M.A., Shimony A., Zeilinger A. (1990). Am. J. Phys. 58(12):1131

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Heywood P., Redhead M.L.G. (1983). Found. Phys. 13:481

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. Larsson J.-A. (2002). Europhys. Lett. 58(6):799

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. C. Simon, C. Brukner and A. Zeilinger, arXiv: quant-ph/0006043v2 (28 Mar 2001).

  7. Kochen S., Specker E. (1967). J. Math. Mech. 17:59

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. A. Peres, Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods (Kluwer Academic, 1993).

  9. Pan J.-W., Bouwmeester D.B., Daniell M., Weinfurter H., Zeilinger A. (2000). Nature. Lett. 403:515

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Weils G., Jennewein T., Simon C., Weinfurter H., Zeilinger A. (1998). Phys. Rev. Lett. 81(23):5039

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Stefanov A., Zbinden H., Gisin N., Suarez A. (2002). Phys. Rev. Lett. 88(120404):1

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gisin N., Brendel J., Tittle W., Zbinden H. (1998). Phys. Rev. Lett. 81:3563

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. H. Zbinden, J. Brendel, N. Gisin and W. Tittel, Phys. Rev. A 63(022111), 1 (2001).

  14. Bassi A., Ghirardi G.C. (2003). Phys. Rep. 379(5–6):257

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Albert D.Z., Vaidman L. (1989). Phys. Lett. A 139(1, 2):1

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Redhead M. (1987). Incompleteness, Non-Locality, and Realism. Clarendon, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  17. Wrede E. (1927). Z. Phys. 44:261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. J. Conway and S. Kochen, in Quantum Unspeakables R. A. Bertlmann and A. Zeilinger, eds. (Springer, Newyork, 2002), pp. 257–270.

  19. R. Tumulka, arXiv: quant-ph/040609v1 (14 Jun 2004).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simon Kochen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Conway, J., Kochen, S. The Free Will Theorem. Found Phys 36, 1441–1473 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-006-9068-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-006-9068-6

Keywords

Navigation