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Information and the Foundations of Quantum Theory

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It From Bit or Bit From It?

Part of the book series: The Frontiers Collection ((FRONTCOLL))

Abstract

We believe that the hypothesis ‘it from bit’ originates from the assumption that probabilities have a fundamental, irremovable status in quantum theory. We argue against this assumption and highlight four well-known reformulations/modifications of the theory in which probabilities and the measuring apparatus do not play a fundamental role. These are: Bohmian Mechanics, Dynamical Collapse Models, Trace Dynamics, and Quantum Theory without Classical Time. Here the ‘it’ is primary and the ‘bit’ is derived from the ‘it’.

This essay received the second prize in the FQXi 2013 Essay Contest ‘It from Bit, or Bit from It?’

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Correspondence to Angelo Bassi .

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Bassi, A., Ghosh, S., Singh, T. (2015). Information and the Foundations of Quantum Theory. In: Aguirre, A., Foster, B., Merali, Z. (eds) It From Bit or Bit From It?. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12946-4_8

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