Interpreting spontaneous collapse theories

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 36 (1):165-180 (2004)
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Abstract

Spontaneous collapse theories of quantum mechanics require an interpretation if their claim to solve the measurement problem is to be vindicated. The most straightforward interpretation rule, the fuzzy link, generates a violation of common sense known as the counting anomaly. Recently, a consensus has developed that the mass density link provides an appropriate interpretation of spontaneous collapse theories that avoids the counting anomaly. In this paper, I argue that the mass density link violates common sense in just as striking a way as the fuzzy link, and hence should not be regarded as a problem-free alternative to the fuzzy link. Hence advocates of spontaneous collapse theories must accept some violation of common sense, although this is not necessarily fatal to their project.

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Peter J. Lewis
Dartmouth College

References found in this work

Elementary Quantum Metaphysics.David Albert - 1996 - In James T. Cushing, Arthur Fine & Sheldon Goldstein, Bohmian mechanics and quantum theory: an appraisal. Springer. pp. 277-284.
Wave Function Ontology.Bradley Monton - 2002 - Synthese 130 (2):265-277.
Life in configuration space.Peter J. Lewis - 2004 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 55 (4):713-729.

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