Del Santo, Flavio and Krizek, Gerd C.
(2023)
Against the “nightmare of a mechanically determined universe”:
Why Bohm was never a Bohmian.
[Preprint]
Abstract
David Bohm has put forward the first deterministic interpretation of quantum physics, and
for this he seems to be regarded as a champion of determinism by physicists (both his contemporaries and the supporters of his interpretation, the so-called “Bohmians”) as well
as by historians of physics. The standard narrative is that he underwent a “conversion” from being a supporter of Bohr to being a staunch determinist, due to his interaction with
Einstein and his commitment to Marxism. Here we show that Bohm actually upheld with continuity throughout his career some philosophical tenets that included a strong rejection
of mechanistic determinism. As such, we conclude that Bohm was never a Bohmian and that his philosophical views have been largely misinterpreted.
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