Quantum ontology without speculation
Matthias Egg
Abstract
Existing proposals concerning the ontology of quantum mechanics (QM) either involve speculation that goes beyond the scientific evidence or abandon realism about large parts of QM. This paper proposes a way out of this dilemma, by showing that QM as it is formulated in standard textbooks allows for a much more substantive ontological commitment than is usually acknowledged. For this purpose, I defend a non-fundamentalist approach to ontology, which is then applied to various aspects of QM. In particular, I will defend realism about spin, which has been viewed as a particularly hard case for the ontology of QM.
Topics & Concepts
OntologySpeculationPhilosophy of scienceDilemmaEpistemologyScientific realismUnderdeterminationRealismComputer sciencePhilosophyEconomicsMacroeconomicsQuantum Mechanics and ApplicationsPhilosophy and History of ScienceHistory and advancements in chemistry