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Questions tagged [quantum-physics]

If your question is more physics and less philosophy, consider asking it on Physics.SE (possibly with the soft-question tag).

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Are there, or could there theoretically be, any confirmed cases of epiphenomenalism?

In philosophy of mind, epiphenomenalism is a form of dualism (the view that the body and the soul are made of two different substances), where it it said that the physical fully dictates the constitution and behavior of the mental, but not vice…
Speldosa
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Quantum Physics and Deep Learning, What are possibilities?

I would like to ask to you a question that I have been wondering about for a while. What would be if we could record all the quantum behaviors (momentum, rotation, translation, etc) of atomic (or subatomic) particles over a certain period of time…
Harun Cetin
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Looking at quantum physics from the perspective of Indian philosophy?

So the philosopher Anand Vaidya, makes the claim (minute 9:18): " .. There was a big movement in Indian philosophy to really look at quantum physics from the perspective of classical Indian philosophy..." What was the outcome(s) and reception of…
More Anonymous
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Comprehension and WIgner's friend thought experiment?

I haven't seen this line of argument used. So I'm curious on it's validity and if it already exists in the literature. In the thought experiment Wigner's friend the disparity of descriptions of the density matrices only happens not because Wigner's…
More Anonymous
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proving (instead of discovering) the laws of quantum mechanics

A single toss of a fair coin cannot be predicted. But if we observe a large number of tosses, we can prove mathematically the law that roughly half of them will show up heads. The movements of individual molecules in a gas cannot be predicted and…
Bob
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Would a nonlocal interpretation of quantum mechanics be more parsimonious?

Under the traditional interpretation of quantum mechanics, there is no realism and no “definite” reality. However, arguably, there is also no locality, depending on how you understand the term. Of course, when it comes to whether you can send…
user62907
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Does quantum mechanics break the principle of local causality?

I keep reading that quantum mechanics, atleast the standard interpretation, is local. However, local seems to imply that there’s no informational transfer faster than the speed of light. But even if this doesn’t occur, in the case of entanglement,…
user62907
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Does quantum mechanics mean that we are far behind in understanding the physical universe?

Until a certain time, physicists were using Newtonian mechanics, and until this time they did not have much difficulty in solving problems with this method. After quantum mechanics was discovered in the early 20th century, people's understanding of…
fkybrd
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Does quantum mechanics disprove the causal principle in philosophy?

The causal principle states that everything must have a cause. William Lane Craig argues that even in the cases of subatomic events in QM, there are certain necessary conditions that produce an effect, even if they don’t sufficiently produce an…
user62907
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What qualifies quantum mechanics to be scientific orthodoxy?

The theory of quantum mechanics is treated as a scientific truth, and taught that way in schools. But it seems very distanced from verifiable reality. When you look at its history, quantum mechanics looks like a bunch of stories to explain…
John
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Is bell's theory philosophically wrong?

I wanted to ask this question in physics section but I think it is most philosophical question than physical. Question is about Bell's theory that proves there are no hidden variables. My question is that if hidden variables exist and system…
Alberto
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Does the PSR fail only at the atomic level in quantum mechanics or also for groups of atoms?

It is commonly held, in modern physics, that it is impossible to predict when a particular atom will decay. This is often taken to mean that there is no particular reason why the atom decided to decay at time t. The Principle of Sufficient Reason…
user62907
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If standard quantum mechanics disproves determinism, why are probabilities the way they are?

In quantum mechanics, the probability, say, that a radioactive atom will decay is well defined. By the Born Rule, it says that the probability of obtaining any possible measurement outcome is equal to the square of the corresponding amplitude. But…
user62907