Laws of nature and the reality of the wave function

Art Hobson

Guolin Wu

Understanding the nature of reality has been a central theme in philosophy for centuries. Classical science presented a well-defined, deterministic view of reality as objects are governed by clear laws. However, quantum mechanics introduced a radically different perspective that suggests a “quantum reality” where particles exhibit wave-like behavior and defy classical intuitions. This chapter delves into the evolution of reality, exploring its characteristics in classical physics and its transformation in the face of quantum mechanics. One key aspect of quantum reality is the wave function, as in whether the wave function is of reality. The Copenhagen interpretation posits that the wave function is a probabilistic tool, rather than a description of the real state of microscopic particles. However, the fundamental principles of quantum control and the very objects it manipulates challenge this view. By directly or indirectly influencing the wave function, quantum control techniques provide compelling evidence for its quantum reality. The PBR theorem suggests that the wave function reflects a real physical state, not merely a mathematical tool. This chapter argues that the wave function is of the “reality of relative entity-structure”. In addition, the “quantum Cheshire cat” experiment further highlights the unusual nature of quantum reality, which shares some connections with the concept of “Tao” in Chinese Taoism that suggests that everything arises from a fundamental nothingness that itself is real. Quantum technology brings forth a “quantum technological reality” characterized by new properties and applications.

Mario Hubert

I combine the idea of a primitive ontology with the metaphysics of laws of nature. In so doing, I examine the theoretical entities that are postulated in Newtonian mechanics, classical electrodynamics, and the de Broglie–Bohm quantum theory. I argue that the existence of mass, forces, fields, and the wave-function depends on the status of laws. The three major theories on laws of nature I treat are Humeanism, dispositionalism, and primitivism about laws. I point out that properties are notoriously ignored in debates on primitive ontologies. In fact, I show that properties, both intrinsic and relational, aren’t needed in physics; therefore, I replace the primitive ontology with a primitive stuff ontology, whose elements have no properties. Recently, a debate has started on the ontological status of forces in classical mechanics; I criticize the major positions and present my own idea that focuses on the status of laws of nature. Another hot topic is the status of the wave-function. Here, I develop a new interpretation in the framework of Humeanism that crucially differs from that advocated by David Albert and Barry Loewer, in that our world is not an illusion of a reality in configuration space. In addition, I propose a hitherto unconsidered way in which the wave–function can be construed as a holistic disposition.

Allen C. Dotson

Mauro Dorato

In this paper I review three different positions on the wave function, namely: nomological realism, dispositionalism, and configuration space realism by regarding as essential their capacity to account for the world of our experience. I conclude that the first two positions are committed to regard the wave function as an abstract entity. The third position will be shown to be a merely speculative attempt to derive a primitive ontology from a reified mathematical space. Without entering any discussion about nominalism, I conclude that an elimination of abstract entities from one’s ontology commits one to instrumentalism about the wave function, a position that therefore is not as unmotivated as it has seemed to be to many philosophers.

Shan Gao