Non-locality and Possible World: A Counterfactual Perspective on Quantum Entanglement

Tomasz F. Bigaj

Open Access Published by De Gruyter 2006

Non-locality and Possible World

A Counterfactual Perspective on Quantum Entanglement

Tomasz F. Bigaj

Volume 10 in the series Epistemische Studien / Epistemic Studies

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110323306

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book uses the formal semantics of counterfactual conditionals to analyze the problem of non-locality in quantum mechanics. Counterfactual conditionals (subjunctive conditionals) enter the analysis of quantum entangled systems in that they enable us to precisely formulate the locality condition that purports to exclude the existence of causal interactions between spatially separated parts of a system. They also make it possible to speak consistently about alternative measuring settings, and to explicate what is meant by quantum property attributions. The book develops the possible-world semantics of quantum counterfactuals using David Lewis’s famous approach as a starting point but modifying it significantly in order to achieve compatibility with the demands of the special theory of relativity as well as quantum mechanics. There have been several attempts to use counterfactual semantics to strengthen Bell’s theorem and its cognates such as the GHZ and Hardy theorems. These are critically evaluated in the book. Finally, a counterfactual reconstruction of the EPR argument and Bell’s theorem is proposed that sheds a new light on their philosophical consequences regarding the relations between realism and local causation.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
INTRODUCTION Publicly Available Download PDF	9
Chapter 1. WHY DOES THE QUANTUM WORLD HAVE TO BE NON-LOCAL? Publicly Available Download PDF	23
Chapter 2. POSSIBLE-WORLD SEMANTICS FOR COUNTERFACTUALS Publicly Available Download PDF	69
Chapter 3. A COUNTERFACTUAL VERSION OF BELL’S THEOREM AND ITS CRITICISM Publicly Available Download PDF	105
Chapter 4. THE GHZ AND HARDY THEOREMS COUNTERFACTUALLY STRENGTHENED—WHAT WENT WRONG? Publicly Available Download PDF	141
Chapter 5. TWO INTERPRETATIONS OF SPATIOTEMPORAL COUNTERFACTUALS Publicly Available Download PDF	185
Chapter 6. LOCALITY EXPLAINED AND THE EPRBELL THEOREMS RECONSIDERED Publicly Available Download PDF	225
Chapter 7. COMPARISONS AND CONCLUSIONS Publicly Available Download PDF	271
Bibliography Publicly Available Download PDF	283
Index Publicly Available Download PDF	291
Backmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	295

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Pages
- Main content: 286
Keywords: Erkenntnistheorie; Philosophie; Wissenschaftstheorie

eBook

Published: May 2, 2013
ISBN: 9783110323306

Hardcover

Published: August 15, 2006
ISBN: 9783110322866