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This paper presents a philosophically realistic analysis of quantization, field-particle duality, superposition, entanglement, nonlocality, and measurement. These are logically related: Realistically understanding measurement depends on…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-07-30 Art Hobson

Two people may claim both to be naturalists, but have divergent conceptions of basic elements of the natural world which lead them to mean different things when they talk about laws of nature, or states, or the role of mathematics in…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2013-11-01 Lee Smolin

Mathematics and its relation to the physical universe have been the topic of speculation since the days of Pythagoras. Several different views of the nature of mathematics have been considered: Realism - mathematics exists and is…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2012-12-27 Alex Harvey

Endeavoring to formulate an exhaustive solution to the measurement problem in view of the theory of decoherence leads to a better understanding of the status of the collapse and of the emergence of classicality, thanks to a precise…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2023-09-01 Antoine Soulas

Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in some intriguing developments in the foundations of physics, exploring the quantum reality problem, the relationship between quantum theory and gravity and the interplay between consciousness…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-04-30 Adrian Kent

The words: determinism, hidden variables, subjectivism, information, objectivism, informational-theoretic axioms,observers have some connection with physical reality? What we mean with "description" of physical reality? When we say that we…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 Michele Caponigro , Helen Lynn

In non-relativistic as well as in special relativistic quantum theory, {\em mass} and {\em charge} are {\em pure numbers} appearing in various (quantum) operators and admit {\em any values}, {\it ie}, values for these quantities are to be…

General Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 Sanjay M. Wagh

I propose a new class of interpretations, {\it real world interpretations}, of the quantum theory of closed systems. These interpretations postulate a preferred factorization of Hilbert space and preferred projective measurements on one…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2012-02-24 Adrian Kent

In his book `Physics and Philosophy', Heisenberg suggested that the quantum world is one of ``potentialities or possibilities'' and that the classical realm is one of ``things or facts''. After ascertaining that his categories most…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2020-03-17 Armin Nikkhah Shirazi

Most working scientists hold fast to the concept of 'realism' - a viewpoint according to which an external reality exists independent of observation. But quantum physics has shattered some of our cornerstone beliefs. According to Bell's…

We show that the local and deterministic mode of description is not only in conflict with the quantum theory, but also with relativity. We argue that elementary relativistic properties of spacetime lead to the emergence of a…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-06-24 Andrzej Dragan , Artur Ekert

We revisit the standard axioms of domain theory with emphasis on their relation to the concept of partiality, explain how this idea arises naturally in probability theory and quantum mechanics, and then search for a mathematical setting…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 Bob Coecke , Keye Martin

Determinism is (roughly) the thesis that the past determines the future. But efforts to define it precisely have exposed deep methodological disagreements. Standard possible-worlds formulations of determinism presuppose an "agreement"…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2026-01-19 Hans Halvorson , JB Manchak , James Owen Weatherall

Scientific realism in classical (i.e. pre-quantum) physics has remained compatible with the naive realism of everyday thinking on the whole; whereas it has proven impossible to find any consistent way to visualize the world underlying…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2007-08-14 R. Gomatam

Theory of quantum measurements is often classified as decision theory. An event in decision theory corresponds to the measurement of an observable. This analogy looks clear for operationally testable simple events. However, the situation is…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2015-06-24 V. I. Yukalov , D. Sornette

One of quantum theory's salient features is its apparent indeterminism, i.e. measurement outcomes are typically probabilistic. We formally define and address whether this uncertainty is unavoidable or whether post-quantum theories can offer…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2024-11-15 Johannes Fankhauser

It is argued that there is no evidence for causality as a metaphysical relation in quantum phenomena. The assumption that there are no causal laws, but only probabilities for physical processes constrained by symmetries, leads naturally to…

General Physics · Physics 2009-11-07 Jeeva Anandan

In this paper I propose a new principle in physics: the principle of "finiteness". It stems from the definition of physics as a science that deals (among other things) with measurable dimensional physical quantities. Since measurement…

General Physics · Physics 2010-06-21 Abraham Sternlieb

On a scientific meta-level, it is discussed how an overall understanding of the physical universe can be built on the basis of well-proven theories, observations, and recent experiments. In the light of almost a century of struggle to make…

General Physics · Physics 2025-01-24 Knud Thomsen

Potentialism is the view that objects are successively generated in an incompletable process. A strict version of the view adds that truths are successively determined. Strict potentialism can be analyzed using two modalities: one for the…

Logic · Mathematics 2026-04-21 Øystein Linnebo