Mason, Lucy (2025) Can Measurement be Entirely Quantum? [Preprint]

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Abstract

I will look at Bohr's contentious doctrine of classical concepts - the claim that measurement requires classical concepts to be understood - and argue that measurement theory supports a similar conclusion. I will argue that representing a property in terms of a metric scale, which marks a shift from the empirical process of measurement to the informational output, introduces the inherently classical assumption of definite states and precise values, thus fulfilling Bohr's doctrine. I examine how realism about metric scales implies that Bohr's doctrine is ontological, while more moderate coherentist or model-based approaches to realism render it epistemological. Regardless of one's stance towards measurement realism, however, measurement cannot be entirely quantum and quantum mechanics can model only the empirical side of measurement, not its informational output. Finally, I discuss how this might influence our understanding of the measurement problem.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Mason, Lucy lucy.mason@rhul.ac.uk 0009-0002-4852-9061
Keywords:	Bohr; classical concepts; measurement; metrology; uncertainty; calibration
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Theory/Observation
Depositing User:	Lucy Mason
Date Deposited:	11 Jul 2025 13:08
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2025 13:08
Item ID:	25934
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Theory/Observation
Date:	10 July 2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25934

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