Chapter 4. Quantum Relations Theory : Philosophical Underpinnings and Ethical Implications

Mark Ellingsen

Lombardi, Olimpia, Sebastián Fortín, López, Cristian +1 more

Quantum theory underpins much of modern physics and its implications draw the attention of industry, academia and public funding agencies. However there are many unsettled conceptual and philosophical problems in the interpretation of quantum mechanics which are a matter of extensive debate. These hotly debated topics include the meaning of the wave function, the nature of the quantum objects, the role of the observer, the non-locality of the quantum world, and the emergence of classicality from the quantum domain. Containing chapters written by eminent researchers from the fields of physics and philosophy, this book provides interdisciplinary, comprehensive and up-to-date perspectives of the problems related to the interpretation of quantum theory. It is ideal for academic researchers in physics and philosophy working on the ontology of quantum mechanics.

Andrew H. Bond

We develop Quantum Normative Dynamics (QND), a quantum field theory extension of classical ethicodynamics. Just as Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) extends classical electromagnetism, QND extends the classical ethical field theory in which harm accounting must be representation-invariant. We introduce the ( ) as the quantum of the ethical field---the discrete carrier of moral influence. The framework incorporates moral superposition (situations existing in multiple ethical states simultaneously), ethical entanglement (non-classical correlations between morally linked agents), moral interference (constructive and destructive combination of ethical amplitudes), and ethical decoherence (the emergence of definite moral judgments from quantum possibilities). We derive the QND Lagrangian, establish canonical commutation relations, and develop Feynman rules for ethical interactions. The theory makes testable predictions via quantum cognition experiments: order effects in moral judgment, conjunction fallacies in ethical reasoning, and non-classical correlations in collective responsibility. We explore profound philosophical implications: the measurement problem becomes the problem of moral judgment, wave function collapse becomes the moment of ethical decision, and the quantum vacuum becomes the ground state of moral possibility. In appendices, we examine theological implications---the quantum ethical vacuum as the ``moral fabric of reality,'' entanglement as the basis of universal moral connection, and measurement as the interface between possibility and actuality that many traditions identify with consciousness or divine action. Throughout, we maintain that this is a formal framework---a tool for organizing thought about the structure of ethical reasoning---not a claim about metaphysical necessity. Author preprint deposited for archival and citation. Draft — pending author review.