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Synthese Library/Synthese library

Between Physics and Metaphysics: A Discussion of the Status of Mind in Quantum Mechanics

Raoni Wohnrath Arroyo, Jonas R. Becker Arenhart

Published Jan 1, 2019• 14 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-21908-6_3

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Ревунов Сергей Евгеньевич, С. В. Кузнецов, O. A. Barkhatova +1 more

Introduction: the study considers the problem of observer’s status during specific quantum-mechanical experiments, in which the empirical result directly depends on the participation of the experimenter's mind. Here the problem arises of the connection between the mind of the observer and the quantum-mechanical description of physical reality. The paper pays attention to modern trends in physics and philosophy devoted to the study of this phenomenon. Some aspects of the philosophical interpretation of the mind as a quantum mechanism are presented. Materials and Methods: the research materials demonstrate an overview of several common quantum-philosophical theories. Attempts have been made to search for the connection of quantum phenomena with the mechanisms of the functioning of human mind. The experimental background of quantum physics is demonstrated, providing material for analyzing the possibility of applying modern quantum theory to the question of identifying the relationship of the quantum approach and describing the problem of the influence of the observer’s mind on the result of a physical experiment. Results: the concept of quantum mechanics, taking into account the latest achievements and results of physics, philosophy and psychology, allows us to consider the mind of the observer as an integral part of the mechanism responsible for the formation of the surrounding physical reality. The anthropic principle of participation considered in the work gives the observer's mind a special role allowing to form a quantum-mechanical description of physical reality. Discussion and conclusions: it is shown that the mind of the observer plays an important role in quantum theory. Moreover, mind as a psychic phenomenon may be in fact identical with the quantum-mechanical concept of choosing an alternative. Given the fact that the brain's thought processes influence the measurement results, it can be assumed that mind changes quantum probabilities. This assumption allows us to take a different look at the concept of reality itself.

Vestnik of Minin University•Aug 10, 2019•7 citations
The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive guide to the metaphysics of Bohmian mechanics. Bohmian mechanics is a quantum theory that describes the motion of particles following trajectories that are determined by the quantum wave-function. The key question that the theory has to face relates to the ontological interpretation of the quantum wave-function. The main debate has mostly centered around two opposing views, wave-function realism on the one hand, and the nomological view on the other hand. The supporters of the former believe that the wave-function is a physical field living in a high-dimensional space; the supporters of the latter regard the wave-function as just an entity that appears in the laws of nature and lacks physical status. This monograph discusses both views open-mindedly, illuminating their tacit problems and providing new insight into how they can be overcome. Moreover, it discusses the structuralist view, which is often neglected and which can be regarded as a reconciliation of the two main opposing camps.
Abstract Many theories and models from physics are probabilistic. This observation raises several philosophical questions: What are probabilities in physics? Do they reflect objective chances which exist independently of the human mind? Or do they only express subjective credences and thus capture our own uncertainty about the world? Finally, which metaphysical lessons, if at all, can one draw from the largely probabilistic character of physics? The chapters collected in this volume address these questions and provide a detailed philosophical appraisal of the status of probabilities in all of physics. Particular emphasis is laid upon statistical physics and quantum mechanics. Many chapters reflect a desire to understand probabilities from physics as objective chances. These chances are characterized, e.g., as time-averages, as probabilities from a best system in the terms of David Lewis, or using the Boltzmannian typicality approach. Other chapters are sympathetic to a Bayesian view of probabilities in physics. The chapters about quantum mechanics elucidate the peculiar characteristics of quantum correlations and discuss strategies to justify the Born Rule. Finally, the chapters of this volume demonstrate how closely interpretive issues about probabilities are entangled with other foundational problems of physics such as the Reversibility Paradox, the ontology of the quantum world and the question whether the world is deterministic.
Introduction: the study considers the problem of observer’s status during specific quantum-mechanical experiments, in which the empirical result directly depends on the participation of the experimenter's mind. Here the problem arises of the connection between the mind of the observer and the quantum-mechanical description of physical reality. The paper pays attention to modern trends in physics and philosophy devoted to the study of this phenomenon. Some aspects of the philosophical interpretation of the mind as a quantum mechanism are presented. Materials and Methods: the research materials demonstrate an overview of several common quantum-philosophical theories. Attempts have been made to search for the connection of quantum phenomena with the mechanisms of the functioning of human mind. The experimental background of quantum physics is demonstrated, providing material for analyzing the possibility of applying modern quantum theory to the question of identifying the relationship of the quantum approach and describing the problem of the influence of the observer’s mind on the result of a physical experiment. Results: the concept of quantum mechanics, taking into account the latest achievements and results of physics, philosophy and psychology, allows us to consider the mind of the observer as an integral part of the mechanism responsible for the formation of the surrounding physical reality. The anthropic principle of participation considered in the work gives the observer's mind a special role allowing to form a quantum-mechanical description of physical reality. Discussion and conclusions: it is shown that the mind of the observer plays an important role in quantum theory. Moreover, mind as a psychic phenomenon may be in fact identical with the quantum-mechanical concept of choosing an alternative. Given the fact that the brain's thought processes influence the measurement results, it can be assumed that mind changes quantum probabilities. This assumption allows us to take a different look at the concept of reality itself.