Does Quantum Theory Redefine Realism? The Neo-Copenhagen View.

Foundational attitudes towards quantum theory have recently thrown off much of the old philosophical baggage largely associated with Niels Bohr to which Einstein famously objected, including the central 'collapse of the wavefunction' concept. A 'neo-Copenhagen' interpretation, it is suggested, has a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Critical Realism Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 137 - 164
Autor principal: Mason, Peter Stuart
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Apr2015
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Foundational attitudes towards quantum theory have recently thrown off much of the old philosophical baggage largely associated with Niels Bohr to which Einstein famously objected, including the central 'collapse of the wavefunction' concept. A 'neo-Copenhagen' interpretation, it is suggested, has arisen. This development is placed in its historical context and contrasted to philosophical allegations of anti-realism. The neo-Copenhagen interpretation remains wedded to Heisenberg's uncertainty and observer-dependent values of particles. However a discussion of Nick Herbert's ' rainbow analogy' suggests that subatomic particles are emergent from a 'nonlocal' level of reality outside the domain of space and time. Critical realism recognizes that emergent systems have an irreducibly ontologically character, and in its combination of epistemological relativism and ontological realism, provides a basis for the proposition that realists who support Einstein's objections must now recognize that their realism must be redefined.