Bohmian dispositions.

This paper argues for a broadly dispositionalist approach to the ontology of Bohmian mechanics (BM). It first distinguishes the 'minimal' and the 'causal' versions of Bohm's theory, and then briefly reviews some of the claims advanced on behalf of the 'causal' version by its proponents. A number of...

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Published in:Synthese Vol. 192; no. 10; pp. 3203 - 3229
Main Author: Suárez, Mauricio
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Oct2015
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        Bohmian mechanics
        Configuration space
        Problem solving
        Wave functions
        Quantum mechanics
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          Bohmian mechanics
          Configuration space
          Problem solving
          Wave functions
          Quantum mechanics
      keyword:
        Dispositions
        Interpretations of quantum mechanics
        Quantum propensities
        Wavefunction realism
      ab: This paper argues for a broadly dispositionalist approach to the ontology of Bohmian mechanics (BM). It first distinguishes the 'minimal' and the 'causal' versions of Bohm's theory, and then briefly reviews some of the claims advanced on behalf of the 'causal' version by its proponents. A number of ontological or interpretive accounts of the wave function in BM are then addressed in detail, including (i) configuration space, (ii) multi-field, (iii) nomological, and (iv) dispositional approaches. The main objection to each account is reviewed, namely (i) the 'problem of perception', (ii) the 'problem of communication', (iii) the 'problem of temporal laws', and (iv) the 'problem of under-determination'. It is then shown that a version of dispositionalism overcomes the under-determination problem while providing neat solutions to the other three problems. A pragmatic argument is thus furnished for the use of dispositions in the interpretation of the theory more generally. The paper ends in a more speculative note by suggesting ways in which a dispositionalist interpretation of the wave function is in addition able to shed light upon some of the claims of the proponents of the causal version of BM.
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