Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1161796 Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 2007 21 Pages PDF
Abstract

This paper reviews four attempts throughout the history of quantum mechanics to explicitly employ dispositional notions in order to solve the quantum paradoxes, namely: Margenau's latencies, Heisenberg's potentialities, Maxwell's propensitons, and the recent selective propensities interpretation of quantum mechanics. Difficulties and challenges are raised for all of them, and it is concluded that the selective propensities approach nicely encompasses the virtues of its predecessors. Finally, some strategies are discussed for reading similar dispositional notions into two other well-known interpretations of quantum mechanics, namely the GRW interpretation and Bohmian mechanics.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Physics and Astronomy Physics and Astronomy (General)
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