What Is Quantum Metaphysics

  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Ontology Peter J. Lewis, 2016 Metaphysicians should pay attention to quantum mechanics. Why? Not because it provides definitive answers to many metaphysical questions-the theory itself is remarkably silent on the nature of the physical world, and the various interpretations of the theory on offer present conflicting ontological pictures. Rather, quantum mechanics is essential to the metaphysician because it reshapes standard metaphysical debates and opens up unforeseen new metaphysical possibilities. Even if quantum mechanics provides few clear answers, there are good reasons to think that any adequate understanding of the quantum world will result in a radical reshaping of our classical world-view in some way or other. Whatever the world is like at the atomic scale, it is almost certainly not the swarm of particles pushed around by forces that is often presupposed. This book guides readers through the theory of quantum mechanics and its implications for metaphysics in a clear and accessible way. The theory and its various interpretations are presented with a minimum of technicality. The consequences of these interpretations for metaphysical debates concerning realism, indeterminacy, causation, determinism, holism, and individuality (among other topics) are explored in detail, stressing the novel form that the debates take given the empirical facts in the quantum domain. While quantum mechanics may not deliver unconditional pronouncements on these issues, the range of possibilities consistent with our knowledge of the empirical world is relatively small-and each possibility is metaphysically revisionary in some way. This book will appeal to researchers, students, and anybody else interested in how science informs our world-view.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Metaphysics Peter Forrest, 1988
  what is quantum metaphysics: Bohmian Mechanics and Quantum Theory: An Appraisal J.T. Cushing, Arthur Fine, S. Goldstein, 2013-04-17 We are often told that quantum phenomena demand radical revisions of our scientific world view and that no physical theory describing well defined objects, such as particles described by their positions, evolving in a well defined way, let alone deterministically, can account for such phenomena. The great majority of physicists continue to subscribe to this view, despite the fact that just such a deterministic theory, accounting for all of the phe nomena of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, was proposed by David Bohm more than four decades ago and has arguably been around almost since the inception of quantum mechanics itself. Our purpose in asking colleagues to write the essays for this volume has not been to produce a Festschrift in honor of David Bohm (worthy an undertaking as that would have been) or to gather together a collection of papers simply stating uncritically Bohm's views on quantum mechanics. The central theme around which the essays in this volume are arranged is David Bohm's version of quantum mechanics. It has by now become fairly standard practice to refer to his theory as Bohmian mechanics and to the larger conceptual framework within which this is located as the causal quantum theory program. While it is true that one can have reservations about the appropriateness of these specific labels, both do elicit distinc tive images characteristic of the key concepts of these approaches and such terminology does serve effectively to contrast this class of theories with more standard formulations of quantum theory.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Metaphysics of Quantum Theory Henry Krips, 1990 The interplay between non-relativistic quantum theory and metaphysics has generated radically opposed interpretations for quantum theory: Niels Bohr's orthodox interpretation, and Einstein's realist approach. This debate in turn fostered the classical first-generation paradoxes of quantum theory: Schr�dinger's Cat and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradoxes. More recently, a range of new paradoxes has emerged from the work of J.S. Bell. This book outlines the contours of these debates and presents an interpretation of quantum theory which, while metaphysically realist, resolves most of the paradoxes.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Sacred Quantum Metaphysics Rich Haas, 2016-06-30 Sacred Quantum Metaphysics provide solutions to almost everything facing mankind today. It combines 24 updated metaphysical principles with 12 new scientific discoveries including Einstein, Quantum Theory, String Theory, and Multidimensional Physics, etc. Rest assured, it's easy to read and easy to understand! There are so many problems facing humanity today, mainly because we have ignored ancient wisdom. Now that the new scientific discoveries have verified much of this forgotten knowledge, we can begin to re-create a better society and universe. No longer will we need to wallow in the problems - we can finally embrace the solutions. Not only will you understand the nuances of that ancient wisdom and scientific discoveries but you will be given an in depth enlightenment into how to use them to create a much better world for yourself and our culture. You are about to embark on perhaps the most fascinating journey of your lifetime! Welcome aboard.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Wave Function Alyssa Ney, David Z Albert, 2013-04-08 This is a new volume of original essays on the metaphysics of quantum mechanics. The essays address questions such as: What fundamental metaphysics is best motivated by quantum mechanics? What is the ontological status of the wave function? Does quantum mechanics support the existence of any other fundamental entities, e.g. particles? What is the nature of the fundamental space (or space-time manifold) of quantum mechanics? What is the relationship between the fundamental ontology of quantum mechanics and ordinary, macroscopic objects like tables, chairs, and persons? This collection includes a comprehensive introduction with a history of quantum mechanics and the debate over its metaphysical interpretation focusing especially on the main realist alternatives.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Nature of Contingency Alastair Wilson, 2020 This book defends a radical new theory of contingency as a physical phenomenon. Drawing on the many-worlds approach, it argues that quantum theories are best understood as telling us about the space of genuine possibilities, rather than as telling us solely about actuality.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Philosophy of Physics Tim Maudlin, 2019-03-19 A sophisticated and original introduction to the philosophy of quantum mechanics from one of the world’s leading philosophers of physics In this book, Tim Maudlin, one of the world’s leading philosophers of physics, offers a sophisticated, original introduction to the philosophy of quantum mechanics. The briefest, clearest, and most refined account of his influential approach to the subject, the book will be invaluable to all students of philosophy and physics. Quantum mechanics holds a unique place in the history of physics. It has produced the most accurate predictions of any scientific theory, but, more astonishing, there has never been any agreement about what the theory implies about physical reality. Maudlin argues that the very term “quantum theory” is a misnomer. A proper physical theory should clearly describe what is there and what it does—yet standard textbooks present quantum mechanics as a predictive recipe in search of a physical theory. In contrast, Maudlin explores three proper theories that recover the quantum predictions: the indeterministic wavefunction collapse theory of Ghirardi, Rimini, and Weber; the deterministic particle theory of deBroglie and Bohm; and the conceptually challenging Many Worlds theory of Everett. Each offers a radically different proposal for the nature of physical reality, but Maudlin shows that none of them are what they are generally taken to be.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Quantum Revolution in Philosophy Richard Healey, 2019-07-11 Quantum theory launched a revolution in physics. But we have yet to understand the revolution's significance for philosophy. Richard Healey opens a path to such understanding. The first part of this book offers a self-contained but opinionated introduction to quantum theory. The second part assesses the theory's philosophical significance.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Reality Nick Herbert, 1987-02-20 This clearly explained layman's introduction to quantum physics is an accessible excursion into metaphysics and the meaning of reality. Herbert exposes the quantum world and the scientific and philosophical controversy about its interpretation.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Answer is You: Quantum Physics Meets Metaphysics for Personal Empowerment Lisa Marie Haley, 2019-01-17 This book carries information to support you embodying fully as the free, powerful creator you are meant to be. I weave my understanding energy together from both the scientific and spiritual worlds. The fundamental message is that you create everything in your life.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Mechanics and the Philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead Michael Epperson, 2004-07-15 This is an extended analysis of the intricate relationships between relativity theory, quantum mechanics and Alfred North Whitehead's cosmology. Michael Epperson illuminates the intersection of science and philosophy in Whitehead's work.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The World in the Wave Function Alyssa Ney, 2021-04-01 If quantum theories of the world are true-and empirical evidence suggests they are-what do they tell us about us, and the world? How should quantum theories make us reevaluate our classical conceptions of material objects? Nearly a century after the development of quantum theories, a consensus has yet to emerge. Many still wonder about what these theories may be telling us about ourselves and our place in the universe. Alyssa Ney here defends and develops a particular framework for understanding the world as it is described by quantum theories. This framework was initially suggested by Schrödinger in the 1920's and was further defended as an account of reality by two philosophers of physics in the 1990's who described it as a necessary point of view for those who argue that quantum theories are correct representations of our world. This framework is called wave function realism, which interprets quantum theories such that its central object is the quantum wave function, interpreted as a field on an extremely high-dimension space. This theory views us, and all objects, as ultimately constituted out of the wave function, and though we seem to occupy three dimensions, the fundamental spatial framework of quantum worlds consists of many more dimensions. Alyssa Ney argues for and advances this view, with the goal of making a case for how this theory how it might be applied to more other relativistic quantum theories, including quantum field theories. Her conclusion develops an account of how we as human beings might ultimately see ourselves and the objects around us as constituted out of the wave function.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Objects Gregg Jaeger, 2013-08-27 This monograph identifies the essential characteristics of the objects described by current quantum theory and considers their relationship to space-time. In the process, it explicates the senses in which quantum objects may be consistently considered to have parts of which they may be composed or into which they may be decomposed. The book also demonstrates the degree to which reduction is possible in quantum mechanics, showing it to be related to the objective indefiniteness of quantum properties and the strong non-local correlations that can occur between the physical quantities of quantum subsystems. Careful attention is paid to the relationships among such property correlations, physical causation, probability, and symmetry in quantum theory. In this way, the text identifies and clarifies the conceptual grounds underlying the unique nature of many quantum phenomena.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality Valia Allori, 2022-07-27 This edited collection provides new perspectives on some metaphysical questions arising in quantum mechanics. These questions have been long-standing and are of continued interest to researchers and graduate students working in physics, philosophy of physics, and metaphysics. It features contributions from a diverse set of researchers, ranging from senior scholars to junior academics, working in varied fields, from physics to philosophy of physics and metaphysics. The contributors reflect on issues about fundamentality (is quantum theory fundamental? If so, what is its fundamental ontology?), ontological dependence (how do ordinary objects exist even if they are not fundamental?), realism (what kind of realism is compatible with quantum theory?), indeterminacy (can the world itself exhibit ontological indeterminacy?). The book contains contributions from both physicists (including Nobel Prize winner Gerard 't Hooft), science communicators and philosophers.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Unconscious Quantum Victor J. Stenger, 1995 No Marketing Blurb
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Meaning of the Wave Function Shan Gao, 2017-03-16 Covering much of the recent debate, this ambitious text provides new, decisive proof of the reality of the wave function.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Philosophy and the Interpretation of Quantum Physics Badis Ydri, 2021 Quantum mechanics is perhaps the greatest scientific breakthrough ever achieved. It brought with it a seismic paradigm shift in our way of thinking about nature, and at the same time, it underpins most of the dramatic technological innovations of the modern era, as well as providing a profound lasting impact on our metaphysical conception of reality. This book provides oversight of many views on the interpretation of quantum physics and the wide philosophical debate that still embroils this subject.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Information Theory and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics Christopher G. Timpson, 2013-04-25 Christopher G. Timpson provides the first full-length philosophical treatment of quantum information theory and the questions it raises for our understanding of the quantum world. He argues for an ontologically deflationary account of the nature of quantum information, which is grounded in a revisionary analysis of the concepts of information.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Event Universe Leemon B. McHenry, 2015-07-01 Leemon McHenry argues that Whitehead's metaphysics provides a better basis for achieving a unification of physical theory than a traditional substance metaphysics. He investigates the influence of Maxwell's electromagnetic field, Einstein's theory of relativity and quantum mechanics on the development of the ontology of events and compares Whitehead's theory to his contemporaries, C. D. Broad and Bertrand Russell, as well as W. V. Quine. In this way, McHenry defends the naturalised and speculative approach to metaphysics as opposed to analytical and linguistic methods that arose in the 20th century.
  what is quantum metaphysics: What Is Real? Adam Becker, 2018-03-20 A thorough, illuminating exploration of the most consequential controversy raging in modern science. --New York Times Book Review An Editor's Choice, New York Times Book Review Longlisted for PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Longlisted for Goodreads Choice Award Every physicist agrees quantum mechanics is among humanity's finest scientific achievements. But ask what it means, and the result will be a brawl. For a century, most physicists have followed Niels Bohr's solipsistic and poorly reasoned Copenhagen interpretation. Indeed, questioning it has long meant professional ruin, yet some daring physicists, such as John Bell, David Bohm, and Hugh Everett, persisted in seeking the true meaning of quantum mechanics. What Is Real? is the gripping story of this battle of ideas and the courageous scientists who dared to stand up for truth. An excellent, accessible account. --Wall Street Journal Splendid. . . . Deeply detailed research, accompanied by charming anecdotes about the scientists. --Washington Post
  what is quantum metaphysics: Scientific Metaphysics Don Ross, James Ladyman, Harold Kincaid, 2013-01-17 Original essays by leading philosophers of science explore the question of whether metaphysics can and should be naturalised - conducted as part of natural science. They engage with a range of approaches and disciplines to argue that if metaphysics is to be capable of identifying objective truths, it must be continuous with and inspired by science.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Physics Meets the Philosophy of Mind Antonella Corradini, Uwe Meixner, 2014-08-19 Quantum physics, in contrast to classical physics, allows non-locality and indeterminism in nature. Moreover, the role of the observer seems indispensable in quantum physics. In fact, quantum physics, unlike classical physics, suggests a metaphysics that is not physicalism (which is today’s official metaphysical doctrine). As is well known, physicalism implies a reductive position in the philosophy of mind, specifically in its two core areas, the philosophy of consciousness and the philosophy of action. Quantum physics, in contrast, is compatible with psychological non-reductionism, and actually seems to support it. The essays in this book explore, from various points of view, the possibilities of basing a non-reductive philosophy of mind on quantum physics. In doing so, they not only engage with the ontological and epistemological aspects of the question but also with the neurophysiological ones.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Information and the Nature of Reality Paul Davies, Niels Henrik Gregersen, 2010-09-23 Many scientists regard mass and energy as the primary currency of nature. In recent years, however, the concept of information has gained importance. Why? In this book, eminent scientists, philosophers and theologians chart various aspects of information, from quantum information to biological and digital information, in order to understand how nature works. Beginning with an historical treatment of the topic, the book also examines physical and biological approaches to information, and its philosophical, theological and ethical implications.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Critique of the Quantum Power of Judgment Hernán Pringe, 2011-10-18 The Critique of the Quantum Power of Judgement analyzes the a priori principles which underlie the empirical knowledge provided by quantum theory. In contrast to other transcendental approaches to quantum physics, none of the transcendental principles established by Kant is modified in order to cope with the new epistemological situation that arises with the asumption of the quantum postulate. Rather, by considering Bohr’s views, it is argued that classical concepts provide the mathematical formalism of quantum theory with physical reference through symbolic analogies in the strict Kantian sense. The main result of the investigation is the determination of the highest principle under which quantum objects are subsumed. This principle states that the conditions of the possibility of the systematic unity of contextual experience are at the same time the conditions of the possibility of quantum objects. Upon this principle rests the possibility of any a priori synthetic knowledge of quantum objects. Therefore, the Critique of the Quantum Power of Judgement yields the prolegomena to any future quantum metaphysics.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Philosophers Look at Quantum Mechanics Alberto Cordero, 2019-08-13 This edited volume explores the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics. It features papers from venues of the International Ontology Congress (IOC) up to 2016. IOC is a worldwide platform for dialogue and reflection on the interactions between science and philosophy. The collection features philosophers as well as physicists, including David Albert, Harvey Brown, Jeffrey Bub, Otávio Bueno, James Cushing, Steven French, Victor Gomez-Pin, Carl Hoefer, Simon Kochen, Peter Lewis, Tim Maudlin, Peter Mittlestatedt, Roland Omnès, Juha Saatsi, Albert Solé, David Wallace, and Anton Zeilinger. Since the early days of quantum mechanics, philosophers have studied the subject with growing technical skill and fruitfulness. Their efforts have unveiled intellectual bridges between physics and philosophy. These connections have helped fuel the contemporary debate about the scope and limits of realism and understanding in the interpretation of physical theories and scientific theories in general. The philosophical analysis of quantum mechanics is now one of the most sophisticated and productive areas in contemporary philosophy, as the papers in this collection illustrate.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Discrete or Continuous? Amit Hagar, 2014-05 Novel conceptual analysis, fresh historical perspectives, and concrete physical examples illuminate one of the most thought-provoking topics in physics.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Reality Jim Baggott, 2020 Quantum mechanics is one of the most successful of scientific theories, but what does it actually mean? From Schrodinger's Cat to Many Worlds, Jim Baggott guides us through the many attempts to determine its meaning. Richard Feynman once declared that 'nobody understands quantum mechanics'. This book will change that.
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Metaphysics Within Physics Tim Maudlin, 2007-04-19 What fundamental account of the world is implicit in physical theory? Physics straightforwardly postulates quarks and electrons, but what of the more intangible elements, such as laws of nature, universals, causation and the direction of time? Do they have a place in the physical structure of the world?Tim Maudlin argues that the ontology derived from physics takes a form quite different from those most commonly defended by philosophers. Physics postulates irreducible fundamental laws, eschews universals, does not require a fundamental notion of causation, and makes room for the passage of time. In a series of linked essays The Metaphysics Within Physics outlines an approach to metaphysics opposed to the Humean reductionism that motivates much analytical metaphysics.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity Tim Maudlin, 2008-04-15 Modern physics was born from two great revolutions: relativity and the quantum theory. Relativity imposed a locality constraint on physical theories: since nothing can go faster than light, very distant events cannot influence one another. Only in the last few decades has it become clear that the quantum theory violates this constraint. The work of J.S. Bell has demonstrated that no local theory can return the predictions of quantum theory. Thus it would seem that the central pillars of modern physics are contradictory.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Identity and Indiscernibility in Quantum Mechanics Tomasz Bigaj, 2022-01-03 This book analyzes metaphysical consequences of the quantum theory of many particles with respect to the fundamental notions of identity, individuality and discernibility. The main focus is on the proper interpretation of the quantum formalism in relation to the role of permutation invariance and the adequate representation of the properties of individual subsystems. Two main approaches to the issue of the individuation of quantum particles are distinguished and thoroughly discussed. These approaches differ radically with respect to their metaphysical consequences – while one of them implies the complete indiscernibility of quantum particles of the same kind, the other one restores the possibility of discerning individual particles by their properties. We connect the problem of quantum individuation and discernibility with an analysis of the concept of quantum entanglement, and we also discuss identity over time and in counterfactual scenarios.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Theory and Reality M. Bunge, 2013-03-08 The Tum of the Tide During centuries physicists were supposed to be studying the physical world. Since the turn of the century this assumption has often been challenged as naive: it was proclaimed that physics is not about the external world but about observers and their manipUlations: that it is meaningless to talk of anything else than observation devices and opera tions: that the laws of physics concern our knowledge rather than the external world. This view of the nature of physical science has old roots in philo sophy but it was independently reinvented by a number of philosophi cally inclined physicists, notably ERNST MACH. These scientists were disgusted with the school philosophies and they were alarmed by the increasing number of physical concepts which they regarded as meta physical or beyond experimental control, such as those of absolute motion, ether, electromagnetic field, and molecule. Reasonably enough, they wished to keep physics testable. To accomplish this goal they adopted the safe method, namely to banish every idea that could not be closely tied to observation. In this way they certainly avoided the risks of untestable speculation but they also failed to enjoy the benefits of theoretical invention. Furthermore they instituted unawares a new meta physics that was to dominate the philosophy of physics for half a century: the metaphysics according to which the world is made of sense experience.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Archetypes Robert J. Verdicchio, 2005-05-01 This book is dedicated to all the hard-working Americans who are trying to make an honest living each day. It is the story of one man''s journey in finding employment at age 50 during a very difficult job market. His search for work found him looking deep inside himself for answers. John C. Kelley had to ask these questions--- Why did this happen to me? Am I too old to find work again? Will I have to sell my home and move out of town? How will my family take this loss? After one year and not finding a job, he felt a tremendous amount of fear about the future. His whole world was collapsing right in front of his eyes. He was going through his own personal War On Terror. He was scared and frightened. His self-esteem was at an all time low. Mr. Kelley had to reinvent himself and start all over. He had to rewrite his resume and learn how to conduct himself during an interview. This book tells how he conquered his fears and eventually found work again in 2003. But once employed again, how does one keep that job? What are the new tricks-of-the-trade that he learned about Corporate America? 50 and Out gives the reader new and creative ideas on working in the 21st Century. It is a must read for all men and women in America today.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Theory Richard Healey, 2017-05-20 This book is one of the many Islamic publications distributed by Mustafa Organization throughout the world in different languages with the aim of conveying the message of Islam to the people of the world. Mustafa Organization is a registered Organization that operates and is sustained through collaborative efforts of volunteers in many countries around the world, and it welcomes your involvement and support. Its objectives are numerous, yet its main goal is to spread the truth about the Islamic faith in general and the Shi`a School of Thought in particular due to the latter being misrepresented, misunderstood and its tenets often assaulted by many ignorant folks, Muslims and non-Muslims. Organization's purpose is to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge through a global medium, the Internet, to locations where such resources are not commonly or easily accessible or are resented, resisted and fought!
  what is quantum metaphysics: The Structure of the World Steven French, 2014-01-30 In The Structure of the World, Steven French articulates and defends the bold claim that there are no objects. At the most fundamental level, modern physics presents us with a world of structures and making sense of that view is the central aim of the increasingly widespread position known as structural realism. Drawing on contemporary work in metaphysics and philosophy of science, as well as the 'forgotten' history of structural realism itself, French attempts to further ground and develop this position. He argues that structural realism offers the best way of balancing our need to accommodate the results of modern science with our desire to arrive at an appropriately informed understanding of the world that science presents to us. Covering not only the realism-antirealism debate, the nature of representation, and the relationship between metaphysics and science, The Structure of the World defends a form of eliminativism about objects that sets laws and symmetry principles at the heart of ontology. In place of a world of microscopic objects banging into one another and governed by the laws of physics, it offers a world of laws and symmetries, on which determinate physical properties are dependent. In presenting this account, French also tackles the distinction between mathematical and physical structures, the nature of laws, and causality in the context of modern physics, and he concludes by exploring the extent to which structural realism can be extended into chemistry and biology.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Compendium of Quantum Physics Daniel Greenberger, Klaus Hentschel, Friedel Weinert, 2009-07-25 With contributions by leading quantum physicists, philosophers and historians, this comprehensive A-to-Z of quantum physics provides a lucid understanding of key concepts of quantum theory and experiment. It covers technical and interpretational aspects alike, and includes both traditional and new concepts, making it an indispensable resource for concise, up-to-date information about the many facets of quantum physics.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Mechanics and the Particles of Nature Anthony Sudbery, 1986-12-04 This book is a quantum mechanics text, written on the assumption that the purpose of learning quantum mechanics is to be able to understand the results of fundamental research into the constitution of the physical world. The text essentially concerns itself with three themes, these being a logical exposition of quantum mechanics, a full discussion of the difficulties in the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and an outline of the current state of understanding of theoretical particle physics, The reader is assumed to have some mathematical skill, but no prior knowledge of physics is assumed. The book will be used for final-year undergraduate courses in mathematics and physics, and of interest to professionals in philosophy and pure mathematics.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Wholeness and the Implicate Order David Bohm, 2005-07-12 David Bohm was one of the foremost scientific thinkers and philosophers of our time. Although deeply influenced by Einstein, he was also, more unusually for a scientist, inspired by mysticism. Indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s he made contact with both J. Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama whose teachings helped shape his work. In both science and philosophy, Bohm's main concern was with understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular. In this classic work he develops a theory of quantum physics which treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole. Writing clearly and without technical jargon, he makes complex ideas accessible to anyone interested in the nature of reality.
  what is quantum metaphysics: Quantum Ontology Peter J. Lewis, 2016-06-13 Metaphysicians should pay attention to quantum mechanics. Why? Not because it provides definitive answers to many metaphysical questions-the theory itself is remarkably silent on the nature of the physical world, and the various interpretations of the theory on offer present conflicting ontological pictures. Rather, quantum mechanics is essential to the metaphysician because it reshapes standard metaphysical debates and opens up unforeseen new metaphysical possibilities. Even if quantum mechanics provides few clear answers, there are good reasons to think that any adequate understanding of the quantum world will result in a radical reshaping of our classical world-view in some way or other. Whatever the world is like at the atomic scale, it is almost certainly not the swarm of particles pushed around by forces that is often presupposed. This book guides readers through the theory of quantum mechanics and its implications for metaphysics in a clear and accessible way. The theory and its various interpretations are presented with a minimum of technicality. The consequences of these interpretations for metaphysical debates concerning realism, indeterminacy, causation, determinism, holism, and individuality (among other topics) are explored in detail, stressing the novel form that the debates take given the empirical facts in the quantum domain. While quantum mechanics may not deliver unconditional pronouncements on these issues, the range of possibilities consistent with our knowledge of the empirical world is relatively small-and each possibility is metaphysically revisionary in some way. This book will appeal to researchers, students, and anybody else interested in how science informs our world-view.
Quantum - Wikipedia
In physics, a quantum (pl.: quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity (physical property) involved in …

Quantum | Definition & Facts | Britannica
May 31, 2025 · Quantum, in physics, discrete natural unit, or packet, of energy, charge, angular momentum, …

What Is Quantum Physics? - Caltech Science Exchange
Quantum physics is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level. It aims to uncover the …

Demystifying Quantum: It’s Here, There and Everywhere
Apr 10, 2024 · Quantum, often called quantum mechanics, deals with the granular and fuzzy nature of the …

Quantum mechanics: Definitions, axioms, and key c…
Apr 29, 2024 · Quantum mechanics, or quantum physics, is the body of scientific laws that describe the …

Quantum - Wikipedia
In physics, a quantum (pl.: quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity (physical property) involved in an interaction. The fundamental notion that a property can be "quantized" …

Quantum | Definition & Facts | Britannica
May 31, 2025 · Quantum, in physics, discrete natural unit, or packet, of energy, charge, angular momentum, or other physical property. Light, for example, appearing in some respects as a …

What Is Quantum Physics? - Caltech Science Exchange
Quantum physics is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level. It aims to uncover the properties and behaviors of the very building blocks of nature. While many …

Demystifying Quantum: It’s Here, There and Everywhere
Apr 10, 2024 · Quantum, often called quantum mechanics, deals with the granular and fuzzy nature of the universe and the physical behavior of its smallest particles. The idea of physical …

Quantum mechanics: Definitions, axioms, and key concepts of quantum …
Apr 29, 2024 · Quantum mechanics, or quantum physics, is the body of scientific laws that describe the wacky behavior of photons, electrons and the other subatomic particles that make …

What is quantum in physics and computing? - TechTarget
Feb 27, 2025 · A quantum, the singular form of quanta, is the smallest discrete unit of any physical entity. For example, a quantum of light is a photon, and a quantum of electricity is an …

Science 101: Quantum Mechanics - Argonne National Laboratory
So, what is quantum? In a more general sense, the word “ quantum” can refer to the smallest possible amount of something. The field of quantum mechanics deals with the most …

DOE Explains...Quantum Mechanics | Department of Energy
Quantum mechanics is the field of physics that explains how extremely small objects simultaneously have the characteristics of both particles (tiny pieces of matter) and waves (a …

Quantum for dummies: the basics explained | Engineering and …
Apr 16, 2019 · Professor Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey attempts to demystify the quantum world by explaining key terminology and theory. Which atoms and particles does …

Quantum - definition of quantum by The Free Dictionary
A unit of energy, especially electromagnetic energy, that is the smallest physical quantity that can exist on its own. A quantum acts both like a particle and like an energy wave. Photons are …