How Presentist Fragmentalism Resolves the Quantum-Relativity Tension: A Study of Eight Key Thought Experiments

Abstract

This paper examines how Presentist Fragmentalism (PF) provides a unified framework for resolving key paradoxes in quantum mechanics and relativity. PF posits that reality consists of fragments with independent A-series temporal flows (dynamic, future/present/past) connected by B-series relations (static, earlier/simultaneous/later). We demonstrate PF's explanatory power through analysis of eight fundamental thought experiments, including Einstein's train, Schrödinger's cat, EPR, and the delayed choice quantum eraser. The framework naturally resolves apparent contradictions between quantum non-locality and relativistic causality by distinguishing between B-series relations, which respect relativistic constraints, and A-series synchronization, which enables quantum correlations. This reconciliation requires no additional mathematical machinery beyond standard quantum mechanics, while providing clear ontological understanding of quantum phenomena. We compare PF with other major interpretations, including Aharonov's two-time, Rovelli's relational interpretation, and quantum reference frames, showing how PF offers unique insights into temporal structure. The framework's success in systematically resolving diverse paradoxes while preserving both relativistic and quantum principles suggests it captures fundamental features of physical reality.

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original Merriam, P.; Habeeb, M. A. Z. (manuscript) "8 Gedankenexperiments for Presentist Fragmentalism".
reprint Merriam, P.; Habeeb, M. A. Z. (manuscript) "8 Gedankenexperiments for Presentist Fragmentalism".

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2025-03-23

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Author Profiles

Mohammed A Z Habeeb
Department of Physics, College of Science, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq

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References found in this work

Tense and reality.Kit Fine - 2005 - In Modality and Tense: Philosophical Papers. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 261--320.
Relational quantum mechanics.Carlo Rovelli - 1996 - International Journal of Theoretical Physics 35 (8):1637--1678.
Fine’s McTaggart: Reloaded.Roberto Loss - 2017 - Manuscrito: Revista Internacional de Filosofía 40 (1):209-239.
On Fine’s fragmentalism.Martin A. Lipman - 2015 - Philosophical Studies 172 (12):3119-3133.

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