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If quantum theories of the world are true-and empirical evidence suggests they are-what do they tell us about us, and the world? How should quantum theories make us reevaluate our classical conceptions of material objects? Nearly a century after the development of quantum theories, a consensus has yet to emerge. Many still wonder about what these theories may be telling us about ourselves and our place in the universe.
Alyssa Ney here defends and develops a particular framework for understanding the world as it is described by quantum theories. This framework was initially suggested by Schrödinger in the 1920's and was further defended as an account of reality by two philosophers of physics in the 1990's who described it as a necessary point of view for those who argue that quantum theories are correct representations of our world. This framework is called wave function realism, which interprets quantum theories such that its central object is the quantum wave function, interpreted as a field on an extremely high-dimension space. This theory views us, and all objects, as ultimately constituted out of the wave function, and though we seem to occupy three dimensions, the fundamental spatial framework of quantum worlds consists of many more dimensions. Alyssa Ney argues for and advances this view, with the goal of making a case for how this theory how it might be applied to more other relativistic quantum theories, including quantum field theories. Her conclusion develops an account of how we as human beings might ultimately see ourselves and the objects around us as constituted out of the wave function.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: A Preliminary Case for Wave Function Realism
1.1 Wave Function Representations in Quantum Mechanics
1.2 The Measurement Problem
1.3 Orthodox Quantum Mechanics
1.4 Quantum Mechanics Without Measurement
1.5 Wave Function Realism
1.6 A Higher-Dimensional Reality
Chapter 2: The Argument from Entanglement
2.1 Entanglement as the Characteristic Feature of Quantum Theories
2.2 The Necessity of Wave Function Realism
2.3 Rivals: The Primitive Ontology Approach
2.4 Rivals: Holisms
2.5 Rivals: Ontic Structural Realism
2.6 Rivals: Spacetime State Realism
2.7 Rivals: The Multi-field Approach
2.8 The Contingency of Wave Function Realism
Chapter 3: The Virtues of Separability and Locality
3.1 The Case for Wave Function Realism
3.2 Separability
3.3 Separability and Wave Function Realism
3.4 A Challenge
3.5 Concepts of Locality
3.6 Quantum Nonlocality
3.7 Locality and Wave Function Realism
3.8 Avoiding Nonlocality with Nonseparability
3.9 Motivating a Local Metaphysics
3.10 In Defense of Intuitions
Chapter 4: Wave Function Realism in a Relativistic Setting
4.1 Removing Idealization
4.2 Five Critiques
4.3 Wave Function Realism for Relativistic Quantum Theories
4.4 Interpretations and Interpretational Frameworks
4.5 Response to Objections
4.6 Wave Function Realism in the Limit of Physical Theorizing
Chapter 5: Must an Ontology for Quantum Theories Contain Local Beables?
5.1 The Constitution Objection
5.2 Doing Without Macroscopic Objects
5.3 The Threat of Empirical Incoherence
5.4 Primitive Ontologies and Local Beables
5.5 Perception and the Macroscopic
Chapter 6: The Causal Role of Macroscopic Objects
6.1 The Macro-Object Problem
6.2 An Initial Proposal
6.3 Monton's Challenge
6.4 Albert's Proposal
6.5 Against Functionalism
6.6 The Decoherence Strategy
6.7 From Simulation to Constitution
Chapter 7: A Solution to the Macro-Object Problem
7.1 A Constitutive Explanation in Two Stages
7.2 The Role of Grounding
7.3 Recovering Three Dimensionality via Symmetry Considerations: Answering Monton's Challenge
7.4 Part and Wholes
7.5 Partial Instantiation
7.6 Tables and Chairs and the Rest
7.7 Finding the World in the Wave Function
Postscript: An Incredulous Stare
References
