Dieks' Realistic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: A Comment

Barnum, Howard (1990) Dieks' Realistic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: A Comment.

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Abstract

D. Dieks has proposed a semantical rule which he claims yields a realistic interpretation of the formalism of quantum mechanics without the projection postulate. I argue that his proposal is unacceptable because it violates a natural requirement of psychophysical parallelism. His "semantical rule" is not an acceptable interpretive rule because it does not identify structures in the theory with structures in our experience, but postulates a merely probabilistic relationship between the two. Dieks' interpretation is contrasted with Everett's relative state interpretation, which attempts the same task but respects psychophysical parallelism.

Keywords:quantum mechanics modal interpretation Dieks probabilities psychophysical parallelism
Subjects:Specific Sciences: Physics: Quantum Mechanics
ID Code:2649
Deposited By:Barnum, Howard
Deposited On:09 March 2006
Additional Information:Unpublished 1990 preprint, has seen some limited circulation since then.
Alternative Locations:http://www.ukiyoart.com/physics/dieks.pdf