A Realist interpretation of quantum mechanics

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2002

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Kamözüt, Mehmet Cem

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The idea of resolving a philosophical problem by reference to the authority of science is problematic. Nevertheless, such attempts spread among philosophers especially after the development of quantum theory. In this thesis I will argue that quantum mechanics cannot be used to support any forms of idealism or relativism. To this end, I introduce a realistic interpretation of quantum mechanics which is in many respects more favorable than the other alternatives suggested so far. The interpretation that I propose is based on a recent approach, namely the theory of decoherence to replace the postulate of wave-function collapse. The major advantage of the realist interpretation that I propose is that it does not change the ^deterministic character of quantum mechanics. I also introduce a sufficient condition for progress in science and argue that according to this criterion the decoherence theory should be accepted as a progress over the quantum mechanics.

Subject Keywords

Realism, Interpretations of quantum mechanics, Scientific progress

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/12464

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

M. C. Kamözüt, “A Realist interpretation of quantum mechanics,” Middle East Technical University, 2002.