A new interpretation of quantum mechanics is proposed according to which precedence, freedom and novelty play central roles. This is based on a modification of the postulates for quantum theory given by Masanes and Muller. We argue that quantum mechanics is uniquely characterized as the probabilistic theory in which individual systems have maximal freedom in their responses to experiment, given reasonable axioms for the behavior of probabilities in a physical theory. Thus, to the extent that quantum systems are free, in the sense of Conway and Kochen, there is a sense in which they are maximally free. We also propose that laws of quantum evolution arise from a principle of precedence, according to which the outcome of a measurement on a quantum system is selected randomly from the ensemble of outcomes of previous instances of the same measurement on the same quantum system. This implies that dynamical laws for quantum systems can evolve as the universe evolves, because new precedents are generated by the formation of new entangled states.
A new interpretation of quantum mechanics is proposed according to which precedence, freedom and novelty play central roles. This is based on a modification of the postulates for quantum theory given by Masanes and Muller. We argue that quantum mechanics is uniquely characterized as the probabilistic theory in which individual systems have maximal freedom in their responses to experiment, given reasonable axioms for the behavior of probabilities in a physical theory. Thus, to the extent that quantum systems are free, in the sense of Conway and Kochen, there is a sense in which they are maximally free. We also propose that laws of quantum evolution arise from a principle of precedence, according to which the outcome of a measurement on a quantum system is selected randomly from the ensemble of outcomes of previous instances of the same measurement on the same quantum system. This implies that dynamical laws for quantum systems can evolve as the universe evolves, because new precedents are generated by the formation of new entangled states.
The predictions of quantum mechanics are probabilistic. Quantum probabilities are extracted using a postulate of the theory called the Born rule, the status of which is central to the "measurement problem" of quantum mechanics. Efforts to justify the Born rule from other physical principles, and thus elucidate the measurement process, have involved lengthy statistical or information-theoretic arguments. Here we show that Bohm's deterministic formulation of quantum mechanics allows the Born rule for measurements on a single system to be derived, without any statistical assumptions. We solve a simple example where the creation of an ensemble of identical quantum states, together with position measurements on those states, are described by Bohm's quantum dynamics. The calculated measurement outcomes agree with the Born-rule probabilities, which are thus a consequence of deterministic evolution. Our results demonstrate that quantum probabilities can emerge from simple dynamical laws alone, and they support the view that there is no underlying indeterminism in quantum phenomena.
This article surveys a selection of key conceptual and interpretational developments in quantum mechanics, tracing the theory from its foundational postulates to contemporary discussions of measurement, nonlocality, and the emergence of classicality. Beginning with the structure of Hilbert space and the postulates governing state evolution and measurement, the epistemic stance of the Copenhagen interpretation and its modern reformulations are examined. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen argument, Bell's theorem, and Hardy's paradox are then discussed as probes of locality and realism, alongside the deterministic but explicitly nonlocal de Broglie-Bohm theory. The measurement problem and the implications of contextuality are analyzed in relation to objective collapse models, which introduce new physical dynamics to account for definite outcomes. Finally, the role of decoherence in the suppression of interference and the emergence of classical behavior is explored, together with the interpretational frameworks of many-worlds and consistent histories. This material aims to provide a coherent introductory overview of how several of the most prominent interpretations address the central concern of what quantum mechanics tells us about the nature of physical reality.
This article surveys a selection of key conceptual and interpretational developments in quantum mechanics, tracing the theory from its foundational postulates to contemporary discussions of measurement, nonlocality, and the emergence of classicality. Beginning with the structure of Hilbert space and the postulates governing state evolution and measurement, the epistemic stance of the Copenhagen interpretation and its modern reformulations are examined. The Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen argument, Bell’s theorem, and Hardy’s paradox are then discussed as probes of locality and realism, alongside the deterministic but explicitly nonlocal de Broglie–Bohm theory. The measurement problem and the implications of contextuality are analyzed in relation to objective collapse models, which introduce new physical dynamics to account for definite outcomes. Finally, the role of decoherence in the suppression of interference and the emergence of classical behavior is explored, together with the interpretational frameworks of many-worlds and consistent histories. This material aims to provide a coherent introductory overview of how several of the most prominent interpretations address the central concern of what quantum mechanics tells us about the nature of physical reality.
It is possible to completely explain all aspects of quantum mechanics by expressing the relations between physical properties in terms of complex conditional probabilities (Phys. Rev. A 89, 042115(2014)). These fully deterministic probabilities replace the classical notions of phase space geometries and continuous trajectories with a more accurate description that takes into account the role of dynamics in the emergence of reality. We can then understand why so many previous attempts to find a detailed explanation of quantum phenomena have failed: the assumption of a static reality breaks down when the interaction needed to obtain a real effect exceeds Planck`s constant. Beyond that limit, complex conditional probabilities are the only valid expression of the fundamental laws of physics.
Objectives: This review advocates absolute determinism in our universe and reinterprets Quantum mechanics while doing so. Then it discusses some of its consequences across fields. Method: This study starts by proposing the absolute postulate of the universe and derives absolute determinism using concepts from both the classical and quantum mechanics. Then it advocates that though the universe is deterministic, it is unpredictable. Statistical outcomes of a classical experiment and probabilistic outcomes of a quantum experiment are not due to the indeterministic nature of the experiment but due to theoretical limit of calculation/ practical limit of measurement. The study then proposes that the "free will is an illusion". As the paths of the particles are determined, the paths and interactions of neurons and neurotransmitters are determined and thus the thoughts and actions are determined. Thus, free will is an illusion. Then it focuses on some consequences like the outcome of a radioactivity experiment, resolution of Schrodinger’s Cat Paradox and that of EPR Paradox. The study also touches upon chaos theory, Big Bang theory and consciousness. Findings: Based on Bohmian Mechanics, Superdeterminism and Cellular Automata Interpretation, this study proposes a new interpretation of quantum mechanics. Using absolute determinism, it also argues that free will is an illusion and support it with Benjamin Libet’s experimental findings in neuroscience and fMRI scans done later. The study discusses deterministic but unpredictable identification of the particle that will disintegrate next among N particles collected in a block. It also attempts resolution of Schrodinger’s Cat Paradox and that of EPR Paradox. Towards the end, the study explores chaos theory, Big Bang theory and consciousness. Novelty: In the new deterministic interpretation of QM, a distinction is made between what is real in the universe and what is measurable or calculable. For example, it reiterates that a particle’s position and momentum are fixed even if they can’t be measured or calculated precisely and simultaneously (a re-interpretation of HUP). In other words, the study implies that the famous quote of Albert Einstein – “God Does Not Play Dice With The Universe” holds true in the realm of quantum mechanics also as it already does in classical mechanics. Keywords: Universe, Determinism, Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Quantum Mechanics, Laplace Demon, Free Will, Benjamin Libet, Consciousness, Theory of Everything
I begin with description of quantum entanglement and its relevance to the EPR-type experiments, which played a decisive role in rejecting determinism and hidden-variable theories. Thereby I prove the closely-related Kochen-Specker paradox, on which also the main object of my paper, the recently published Conway and Kochen’s Free Will Theorem, is founded. It is being shown there, on the basis of three physical axioms, following from the special theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, that if the choice for a particular type of spin 1 experiment is not a function of the information accessible to the experimenters, then its outcome is equally not a function of the information accessible to the particles. Therefor the response of the particles can be seen as free. In conclusion I mention some critical remarks on the theorem, expressed in subsequent responses to the original article.