Abstract
Quantum mechanics without the collapse postulate, the bare theory, was proposed by Albert (1992) as a way of understanding Everett's relative-state formulation of quantum mechanics. The basic idea is to try to account for an observer's beliefs by appealing to a type of illusion predicted by the bare theory. This paper responds to some recent objections to the bare theory by providing a more detailed description of the sense in which it can and the sense in which it cannot account for our experience.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
REFERENCES
Albert, D. Z.: 1992, Quantum Mechanics and Experience, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Albert, D. Z. and B. Loewer: 1988, ,Interpreting the Many Worlds Interpretation', Synthese 77, 195–213.
Barrett, J.: 1996, ,Empirical Adequacy and the Availability of Reliable Records in Quantum Mechanics', Philosophy of Science 63, 49–64.
Barrett, J.: 1994, ,The Suggestive Properties of Quantum Mechanics without the Collapse Postulate', Erkenntnis 41, 233–252.
Bub, J., R. Clifton, and B. Monton: forthcoming, ,The Bare Theory has no Clothes', Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science.
DeWitt, B. S.: 1971, ,The Many Universes Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics', in Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Academic Press, New York; reprinted in DeWitt and Graham (1973).
DeWitt, B. S. and N. Graham (eds.): 1973, The Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Everett, H.,III: 1957, ,“Relative State” Formulation of Quantum Mechanics', Reviews of Modern Physics 29, 454–62; reprinted in DeWitt and Graham (eds.).
Everett, H., III: 1973, ,Theory of the Universal Wave Function', in DeWitt and Graham (eds.).
Graham, N.: 1973, ,The Measurement of Relative Frequency', in DeWitt and Graham (eds.), 1973.
Hartle, J. B.: 1968, ,Quantum Mechanics of Individual Systems', in American Journal of Physics 36(8), 704–12.
von Neumann, J.: 1932, Mathematische Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik, Springer, Berlin; reprinted and translated as Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, translated by R. Beyer, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1955.
Weinstein, S.: 1996, ,Undermined', Synthese 106(2), 241–251.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barrett, J.a. On the Nature of Experience in the Bare Theory. Synthese 113, 347–355 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004983313200
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004983313200
Keywords
- Quantum Mechanic
- Orthogonal State
- Human Observer
- Prefer Basis
- Hide Variable Theory