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Dimension and Illusion

Lewis, Peter J. (2011) Dimension and Illusion. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The world looks three-dimensional unless one looks closely, when it looks 3N-dimensional. But which appearance is veridical, and which the illusion? Albert contends that the three-dimensionality of the everyday world is illusory, and that 3N-dimensional wavefunction one discerns in quantum
phenomena is the reality behind the illusion. What I try to do here is to argue for the converse of Albert's position; the world really is three dimensional, and the 3N-dimensional appearance of quantum phenomena is the theoretical analog of an illusion; we represent quantum reality to ourselves as 3N-dimensional in order to more readily visualize the correlations between wave packets.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Lewis, Peter J.plewis@miami.edu
Keywords: Wavefunction realism, wavefunction ontology, configuration space, dimension.
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User: Peter J. Lewis
Date Deposited: 14 Oct 2011 10:57
Last Modified: 14 Oct 2011 10:57
Item ID: 8841
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date: 28 September 2011
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8841

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