Abstract
The chapter argues that doing metaphysics requires taking science into account and that doing so implies going as far as to take a stance on what the appropriate formulation of the scientific theories in question is. I illustrate this claim by considering quantum physics. The famous measurement problem teaches us that answering the very question of what the appropriate formulation of quantum mechanics requires employing the conceptual tools of philosophy. I first set out a general metaphysical framework that applies to all the different formulations of quantum mechanics (namely a certain sort of holism), then consider the three different types of solution to the measurement problem and finally conclude that despite appearances to the contrary, Bohm’s theory still stands out as the best candidate for an ontological interpretation of quantum theory.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adler SL (2003) Why decoherence has not solved the measurement problem: a response to PW Anderson. Stud Hist Philos Mod Phys 34:135–142
Albert DZ (1992) Quantum mechanics and experience. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts)
Albert DZ (1996) Elementary quantum metaphysics. In: Cushing JT, Fine A, Goldstein S (eds) Bohmian mechanics and quantum theory: an appraisal. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 277–284
Allori V, Goldstein S, Tumulka R, Zanghì N (2008) On the common structure of Bohmian mechanics and the Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber theory. Br J Philos Sci 59:353–389
Aspect A, Dalibard J, Roger G (1982) Experimental test of Bell’s inequalities using time-varying analyzers. Phys Rev Lett 49:1804–1807
Balashov Y (2010) Persistence and spacetime. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Bell JS (1987) Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Belot G (2012) Quantum states for primitive ontologists. A case study. Eur J Philos Sci 2:67–83
Berkovitz J (2008) On predictions in retro-causal interpretations of quantum mechanics. Stud Hist Philos Mod Phys 39:709–735.
Bohm D (1952) A suggested interpretation of the quantum theory in terms of ‘hidden’ variables. Phys Rev 85:166–193
Bohm D, Hiley B (1993) The undivided universe. An ontological interpretation of quantum theory. Routledge, London
Chang H, Cartwright N (1993) Causality and realism in the EPR experiment. Erkenntnis 38:169–190
Dorato M, Esfeld M (2010) GRW as an ontology of dispositions. Stud Hist Philos Mod Phys 41:41–49
Dürr D, Goldstein S, Zanghì N (2013) Quantum physics without quantum philosophy. Springer, Berlin
Einstein A (1948) Quanten–Mechanik und Wirklichkeit. Dialectica 2:320–324
Esfeld M (2004) Quantum entanglement and a metaphysics of relations. Stud Hist Philos Mod Phys 35:601–617
Esfeld M, Lam V (2008) Moderate structural realism about space–time. Synthese 160:27–46
Esfeld M, Lam V (2011) Ontic structural realism as a metaphysics of objects. In: Bokulich A, Bokulich P (eds) Scientific structuralism. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 143–159
Esfeld M, Lazarovici D, Hubert M, Dürr D (2013) The ontology of Bohmian mechanics. Br J Philos Sci DOI 10.1093/bjps/axt019
Everett H (1957) ‘Relative state’ formulation of quantum mechanics. Rev Mod Phys 29:454–462. (Reprinted in DeWitt B S, Graham N (eds) (1973) The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp 141–149)
French S (2014) The structure of the world. Metaphysics and representation. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Ghirardi GC, Grassi R, Benatti F (1995) Describing the macroscopic world: closing the circle within the dynamical reduction program. Foundations Phys 25:5–38
Ghirardi GC, Rimini A, Weber T (1986) Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic systems. Phys Rev D 34:470–491
Gisin N (1984) Quantum measurements and stochastic processes. Phys Rev Lett 52:1657–1660. (and reply p. 1776)
Kiefer C (2012) Quantengravitation. In: Esfeld M (ed) Philosophie der Physik. Suhrkamp, Berlin, pp 267–286
Ladyman J (2010) Reply to Hawthorne: physics before metaphysics. In: Saunders S, Barrett J, Kent A, Wallace D (eds) Many worlds? Everett, quantum theory, and reality. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 154–160
Ladyman J, Ross D (2007) Every thing must go. Metaphysics naturalised. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Lange M (2002) An introduction to the philosophy of physics. Blackwell, Oxford
Maudlin T (1995) Three measurement problems. Topoi 14:7–15
Maudlin T (2007) Completeness, supervenience, and ontology. J Phys A Math Theor 40:3151–3171
Maudlin T (2008) Non-local correlations in quantum theory: some ways the trick might be done. In: Smith Q, Craig WL (eds) Einstein, relativity, and absolute simultaneity. Routledge, London pp 186–209
Maudlin T (2010) Can the world be only wave function? In: Saunders S, Barrett J, Kent A, Wallace D (eds) Many worlds? Everett, quantum theory, and reality. Oxford University Press, Oxford pp 121–143
Maudlin T (2011) Quantum non-locality and relativity. 3rd edn. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester
Monton B (2004) The problem of ontology for spontaneous collapse theories. Stud Hist Philos Mod Phys 35:407–421
Monton B (2006) Quantum mechanics and 3N-dimensional space. Philos Sci 73:778–789
Mulligan K (1998) Relations—through thick and thin. Erkenntnis 48:325–353
Mulligan K, Simons P, Smith B (2006) What’s wrong with contemporary philosophy? Topoi 25:63–67
Norsen T (2009) Local causality and completeness: Bell vs. Jarrett. Foundations Phys 39:273–294
Price H (1996) Time’s arrow and Archimedes’ point. New directions for the physics of time. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Putnam H (1965) A philosopher looks at quantum mechanics. In: Putnam H (ed) Mathematics, matter and method. Philosophical papers. vol 1. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 130–158
Putnam H (2005) A philosopher looks at quantum mechanics (again). Br J Philos Sci 56:615–634
Saunders S, Barrett J, Kent A, Wallace D (eds) (2010) Many worlds? Everett, quantum theory, and reality. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Seevinck MP (2010) Can quantum theory and special relativity peacefully coexist? Invited white paper for quantum physics and the nature of reality, John Polkinghorne 80th birthday conference. St Annes College, Oxford, 26–29 September 2010. http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.3714
Teller P (1986) Relational holism and quantum mechanics. Br J Philos Sci 37:71–81
Tittel W, Brendel J, Gisin B, Herzog T, Zbinden H, Gisin N (1998) Experimental demonstration of quantum-correlations over more than 10 km. Phys Rev A57:3229–3232
Tumulka R (2006) A relativistic version of the Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber model. J Stat Phy 125:821–840
Tumulka R (2009) The point processes of the GRW theory of wave function collapse. Rev Math Phy 21:155–227
von Neumann J (1932) Mathematische Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik. Springer, Berlin. (English edition: von Neumann J (1955) Mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics (trans: Beyer R T). Princeton University Press, Princeton)
Wallace D (2008) Philosophy of quantum mechanics. In: Rickles D (ed) The Ashgate companion to contemporary philosophy of physics. Ashgate, Aldershot, pp 16–98
Wallace D (2012) The emergent multiverse. Quantum theory according to the Everett interpretation. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Esfeld, M. (2014). Science and Metaphysics: The Case of Quantum Physics. In: Reboul, A. (eds) Mind, Values, and Metaphysics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04199-5_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04199-5_20
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-04198-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-04199-5
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPhilosophy and Religion (R0)