Evans, Peter W
(2020)
The End of a Classical Ontology for Quantum Mechanics?
Entropy, 23 (1).
p. 12.
ISSN 1099-4300
Abstract
In this paper, I argue that the Shrapnel--Costa no-go theorem undermines the last remaining viability of the view that the fundamental ontology of quantum mechanics is essentially classical: that is, the view that physical reality is underpinned by objectively real, counterfactually definite, uniquely spatiotemporally defined, local, dynamical entities with determinate valued properties, and where typically `quantum' behaviour emerges as a function of our own in-principle ignorance of such entities. Call this view Einstein--Bell realism. One can show that the causally symmetric local hidden variable approach to interpreting quantum theory is the most natural interpretation that follows from Einstein--Bell realism, where causal symmetry plays a significant role in circumventing the nonclassical consequences of the traditional no-go theorems. However, Shrapnel and Costa argue that exotic causal structures, such as causal symmetry, are incapable of explaining quantum behaviour as arising as a result of noncontextual ontological properties of the world. This is particularly worrying for Einstein--Bell realism and classical ontology. In the first instance, the obvious consequence of the theorem is a straightforward rejection of Einstein--Bell realism. However, more than this, I argue that, even where there looks to be a possibility of accounting for contextual ontic variables within a causally symmetric framework, the cost of such an account undermines a key advantage of causal symmetry: that accepting causal symmetry is more economical than rejecting a classical ontology. Either way, it looks like we should give up on classical ontology.
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