Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

A Reinterpretation of Schrödinger's Cat According to Ernst Mayr

Peter Punin

Published Sep 1, 2012• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The theory of decoherence, provided we accept its validity, partially solves the quantum-macro clash as it had been seen few decades before. Namely, the theory of decoherence permits us to understand (better) why a given macro-system, in contrast to the quantum entities that compose it, does not superpose simultaneously several possible states. Subsequently, the theory of decoherence partially solves the paradox stemming from the Gedankenexperiment known as “Schrodinger's cat”. In terms of decoherence, it seems reasonable to admit that the feline, independently from any measurement process, is either alive or dead, but never superposes these mutually exclusive states. On the other hand, the resolution of a second essential aspect of the quantum-macro clash cannot find any help from the theory of decoherence. While now the overall wave packet reduction by the macroscopic environment of each quantum phenomenon manifesting itself at our scale seems quite plausible, the theory of decoherence does not explain from where our macroscopic world – ultimately irreducible to the only quantum axioms and laws – could emerge. In other words, whereas the macro-non-superposition problem seems almost solved, the supra-quantum emergence problem entirely persists. From the (current) perspective of the macroscopic non-superposition problem, Schrodinger's cat perhaps retains only a historical interest . But in the present paper, we will try to show that in the context of the supra-quantum emergence problem, the “cat” continues to have a specific relevant significance. On the other hand, it seems commonly admitted that the special status of the “cat” as a representative of living matter does not have any intrinsic meaning within the Gedankenexperiment. Other antithetical “macroscopic superpositions” such as a broken-intact phial or simply the needle of a measurement apparatus pointing simultaneously upwards and downwards would express the same message than the dead-living “cat.” However, here we aim to prove that the living matter status of the “cat”, when related to the supra-quantum emergence problem, does have – despite its author – an intrinsic signification which the modern philosophy of science generally denies. Indirectly inspired by certain assumptions of the neo-Darwinian biologist Ernst Mayr denoting that the existence of living matter expresses a key aspect of the supra-quantum emergence problem, this paper is purposed to establish 1° that the efficient elucidation of the supra-quantum emergence problem should have a formally and experimentally operating “general systems theory” according to Ludwig von Bertalanffy, 2° that this “general systems theory” still looking for its own scientificity remains until further notice reduced to a kind of not entirely full scientific “world vision” or “intellectual attitude” commonly called “holism”. 3° that a generally neglected text passage of Schrodinger's article “Die gegenwartige Situation in der Quantenmechanik” containing the “cat” closely anticipates – despite its author and far ahead of time – the fundamental assumption of “general systems theory”, i.e. “the whole transcends the 'sum' of its parts”, 4° that the factors ensuring the powerful formal consistence of quantum physics are – except for one determining detail – the same which hamper the creation of a scientifically relevant “general systems theory” and, subsequently, impede the elucidation of the supra-quantum emergence problem.

Related papers

Relativity and structure deformations: epistemological aspects

Wojciech Piotr Grygiel

The Schrodinger's Cat paradox was proposed in 1935 by Edwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, as an attempt to visualize the macroscopic realization of a quantum superposition state. A cat is placed in a sealed box together with a vial of poison. A two-state particle (e.g. an electron) is sent into a detector in the box resulting either in a broken or an intact vial and a dead or live cat, respectively. The main problem consists in whether the superposition state of a microscopic particle can be transferred upon the macroscopic cat, that is, whether the cat can exist in a superposition state, being simultaneously dead and alive. Since the standard Copenhagen interpretation is unable to assign any reality to the quantum superposition state, the paradox finds no resolution within the regime of this interpretation. Von Neumann's insistence on the uniform treatment of both microscopic (quantum) and macroscopic (classical) objects according to the laws of quantum mechanics provides a more consistent framework for the resolution of the paradox. In particular, the discovery of the phenomenon of decoherence, whereby the disappearance of the quantum interferences at the macro level is accounted for, suggests the onset of an extremely efficient interference relaxation process (10-23 s) upon the interaction of the two state particle with the detector. As a result, Schrodinger's cat can exist macroscopically either as dead or alive and never as a combination of both. Decoherence not only aids the resolution of the Schrodinger's Cat paradox but also sheds light upon the mechanisms by which the macro-world emerges from the microscopic quantum realm.

Philosophical Problems in Science (Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce)•Jan 1, 2005•0 citations

Review and suggested resolution of the problem of Schrodinger’s cat

Art Hobson

This paper reviews and suggests a resolution of the problem of definite outcomes of measurement. This problem, also known as ‘Schrodinger’s cat’, has long posed an apparent paradox because the state resulting from a measurement appears to be a quantum superposition in which the detector is in two macroscopically distinct states (alive and dead in the case of the cat) simultaneously. Many alternative interpretations of the quantum mathematical formalism, and several alternative modifications of the theory, have been proposed to resolve this problem, but no consensus has formed supporting any one of them. Applying standard quantum theory to the measurement state, together with the analysis and results of decades of nonlocality experiments with pairs of entangled systems, this paper shows the entangled measurement state is not a paradoxical macroscopic superposition of states. It is instead a phase-dependent superposition of correlations between states of the subsystems. Thus Schrodinger’s cat is a non-paradoxical ‘macroscopic correlation’ in which one of the two correlated systems happens to be a detector. This insight resolves the problem of definite outcomes but it does not entirely resolve the measurement problem because the entangled state is still reversible.

arXiv:1711.11082•Contemporary Physics•Nov 28, 2017•16 citations

Is Schrödinger's cat dead oa alive?

Wojciech Piotr Grygiel

The Schrödinger's Cat paradox was proposed in 1935 by Edwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, as an attempt to visualize the macroscopic realization of a quantum superposition state. A cat is placed in a sealed box together with a vial of poison. A two-state particle (e.g. an electron) is sent into a detector in the box resulting either in a broken or an intact vial and a dead or live cat, respectively. The main problem consists in whether the superposition state of a microscopic particle can be transferred upon the macroscopic cat, that is, whether the cat can exist in a superposition state, being simultaneously dead and alive. Since the standard Copenhagen interpretation is unable to assign any reality to the quantum superposition state, the paradox finds no resolution within the regime of this interpretation. Von Neumann's insistence on the uniform treatment of both microscopic (quantum) and macroscopic (classical) objects according to the laws of quantum mechanics provides a more consistent framework for the resolution of the paradox. In particular, the discovery of the phenomenon of decoherence, whereby the disappearance of the quantum interferences at the macro level is accounted for, suggests the onset of an extremely efficient interference relaxation process (10-23 s) upon the interaction of the two state particle with the detector. As a result, Schrodinger's cat can exist macroscopically either as dead or alive and never as a combination of both. Decoherence not only aids the resolution of the Schrodinger's Cat paradox but also sheds light upon the mechanisms by which the macro-world emerges from the microscopic quantum realm.

Philosophical Problems in Science (Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce)•Dec 2, 2005•0 citations

Reconstruction of Schrödinger's Cat in Many Worlds 1; Six Interpretations on Whether Schrödinger's Cat Is Dead or Alive

changzheng zhou, ZIQING zhou

Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment profoundly reveals the fundamental tension between the principle of quantum superposition and macroscopic classicalreality. This paper systematically elaborates six emerging mathematical-physicalframeworks aimed at reconstructing this paradox: Dynamic Time Algebra, PostMarkovian Paradigm, Temporal Layer Causal Evolution Theory, Chronogroup Framework, Chronological Fiber Category Theory, and Origin of Order Theory. Thesetheories respectively start from algebraic, logical, homological, group-theoretic, categorical, and thermodynamic structures, demonstrating the essential reasons whymacroscopic systems cannot maintain quantum superpositions. They collectivelypoint to a core viewpoint: the classical state of the cat is not determined by theexternal observer’s ”looking”, but is spontaneously completed by an internal ”selfstabilization mechanism” initiated by the system itself before the observer’s intervention, in order to repair the ”structural fracture” at the micro-macro interface.The core contribution of this paper is to reveal that these six theories are not isolated but are manifestations of the same underlying physical process under differentmathematical projections. By analyzing their unification theorems, core mechanisms, and experimentally testable predictions (such as entropy production pulses,logical afterimages, critical slowing down, etc.), this paper provides a self-consistentstructural answer to the quantum measurement problem without introducing thecollapse postulate or many-world branches.

•Mar 4, 2026•0 citations

Entanglement, decoherence, and the measurement problem

Art Hobson

The entangled Schrodinger cat state obtained immediately upon measurement of a superposed two-state quantum system is often considered paradoxical because it appears to predict two macroscopically different outcomes, such as an alive and dead cat. However, nonlocal interferometry experiments testing momentum-entangled photon pairs over all phases demonstrate that the cat state does not fit this description and is not paradoxical. Both experiment and theory imply that it instead represents a superposition of two nonlocally coherent (i.e. phase-dependent) statistical correlations between its sub-systems. This is not paradoxical. Standard quantum theory rigorously predicts the experimentally-observed outcomes of this state. Neither sub-system is superposed; rather, the correlations between the states of the subsystems are superposed. This resolves the problem of definite outcomes. The nonlocal properties of entanglement then ensure that only one outcome occurs while the other outcome simultaneously does not occur, resolving a problem posed by Einstein in 1927. The single outcome that occurs then triggers an irreversible process leading to macroscopic registration of the outcome. This resolves the quantum measurement problem. Collapse occurs because of entanglement and does not require a special collapse postulate. Collapse is a consequence of standard quantum physics and the irreversible nature of the macroscopic registration.

arXiv:1904.04234•Jan 1, 2019•0 citations

CAT'S THEORY: Explaining Schrödinger's Cat — Resolving the Measurement Problem Through Triadic Ontology

Coty Austin Trout

Schrödinger's cat paradox has persisted for nearly a century as a demonstration of the apparent absurdity of quantum superposition when extended to macroscopic scales. This technical note demonstrates that the paradox dissolves entirely within the CAT'S Theory framework through the triadic invariant Reality = Pattern × Intent × Presence (P × I × Pr). We argue that the cat is neither "both alive and dead" nor the victim of mysterious collapse. Instead, superposition represents a state where Presence (Pr) has not yet instantiated, yielding P × I × 0 = 0 (potential but not actual). Measurement does not "cause" collapse through mysterious observer effects; it provides the Presence component required for actualization. This resolution eliminates the need for Multiple Worlds or hidden variables while maintaining consistency with quantum mechanical predictions.

•Dec 12, 2025•1 citation
ABSTRACT: The theory of decoherence, provided we accept its validity, partially solves the quantum-macro clash as it had been seen few decades before. Namely, the theory of decoherence permits us to understand (better) why a given macro-system, in contrast to the quantum entities that compose it, does not superpose simultaneously several possible states. Subsequently, the theory of decoherence partially solves the paradox stemming from the Gedankenexperiment known as “Schrodinger's cat”. In terms of decoherence, it seems reasonable to admit that the feline, independently from any measurement process, is either alive or dead, but never superposes these mutually exclusive states. On the other hand, the resolution of a second essential aspect of the quantum-macro clash cannot find any help from the theory of decoherence. While now the overall wave packet reduction by the macroscopic environment of each quantum phenomenon manifesting itself at our scale seems quite plausible, the theory of decoherence does not explain from where our macroscopic world – ultimately irreducible to the only quantum axioms and laws – could emerge. In other words, whereas the macro-non-superposition problem seems almost solved, the supra-quantum emergence problem entirely persists. From the (current) perspective of the macroscopic non-superposition problem, Schrodinger's cat perhaps retains only a historical interest . But in the present paper, we will try to show that in the context of the supra-quantum emergence problem, the “cat” continues to have a specific relevant significance. On the other hand, it seems commonly admitted that the special status of the “cat” as a representative of living matter does not have any intrinsic meaning within the Gedankenexperiment. Other antithetical “macroscopic superpositions” such as a broken-intact phial or simply the needle of a measurement apparatus pointing simultaneously upwards and downwards would express the same message than the dead-living “cat.” However, here we aim to prove that the living matter status of the “cat”, when related to the supra-quantum emergence problem, does have – despite its author – an intrinsic signification which the modern philosophy of science generally denies. Indirectly inspired by certain assumptions of the neo-Darwinian biologist Ernst Mayr denoting that the existence of living matter expresses a key aspect of the supra-quantum emergence problem, this paper is purposed to establish 1° that the efficient elucidation of the supra-quantum emergence problem should have a formally and experimentally operating “general systems theory” according to Ludwig von Bertalanffy, 2° that this “general systems theory” still looking for its own scientificity remains until further notice reduced to a kind of not entirely full scientific “world vision” or “intellectual attitude” commonly called “holism”. 3° that a generally neglected text passage of Schrodinger's article “Die gegenwartige Situation in der Quantenmechanik” containing the “cat” closely anticipates – despite its author and far ahead of time – the fundamental assumption of “general systems theory”, i.e. “the whole transcends the 'sum' of its parts”, 4° that the factors ensuring the powerful formal consistence of quantum physics are – except for one determining detail – the same which hamper the creation of a scientifically relevant “general systems theory” and, subsequently, impede the elucidation of the supra-quantum emergence problem.
The Schrodinger's Cat paradox was proposed in 1935 by Edwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, as an attempt to visualize the macroscopic realization of a quantum superposition state. A cat is placed in a sealed box together with a vial of poison. A two-state particle (e.g. an electron) is sent into a detector in the box resulting either in a broken or an intact vial and a dead or live cat, respectively. The main problem consists in whether the superposition state of a microscopic particle can be transferred upon the macroscopic cat, that is, whether the cat can exist in a superposition state, being simultaneously dead and alive. Since the standard Copenhagen interpretation is unable to assign any reality to the quantum superposition state, the paradox finds no resolution within the regime of this interpretation. Von Neumann's insistence on the uniform treatment of both microscopic (quantum) and macroscopic (classical) objects according to the laws of quantum mechanics provides a more consistent framework for the resolution of the paradox. In particular, the discovery of the phenomenon of decoherence, whereby the disappearance of the quantum interferences at the macro level is accounted for, suggests the onset of an extremely efficient interference relaxation process (10-23 s) upon the interaction of the two state particle with the detector. As a result, Schrodinger's cat can exist macroscopically either as dead or alive and never as a combination of both. Decoherence not only aids the resolution of the Schrodinger's Cat paradox but also sheds light upon the mechanisms by which the macro-world emerges from the microscopic quantum realm.
This paper reviews and suggests a resolution of the problem of definite outcomes of measurement. This problem, also known as ‘Schrodinger’s cat’, has long posed an apparent paradox because the state resulting from a measurement appears to be a quantum superposition in which the detector is in two macroscopically distinct states (alive and dead in the case of the cat) simultaneously. Many alternative interpretations of the quantum mathematical formalism, and several alternative modifications of the theory, have been proposed to resolve this problem, but no consensus has formed supporting any one of them. Applying standard quantum theory to the measurement state, together with the analysis and results of decades of nonlocality experiments with pairs of entangled systems, this paper shows the entangled measurement state is not a paradoxical macroscopic superposition of states. It is instead a phase-dependent superposition of correlations between states of the subsystems. Thus Schrodinger’s cat is a non-paradoxical ‘macroscopic correlation’ in which one of the two correlated systems happens to be a detector. This insight resolves the problem of definite outcomes but it does not entirely resolve the measurement problem because the entangled state is still reversible.
The Schrödinger's Cat paradox was proposed in 1935 by Edwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, as an attempt to visualize the macroscopic realization of a quantum superposition state. A cat is placed in a sealed box together with a vial of poison. A two-state particle (e.g. an electron) is sent into a detector in the box resulting either in a broken or an intact vial and a dead or live cat, respectively. The main problem consists in whether the superposition state of a microscopic particle can be transferred upon the macroscopic cat, that is, whether the cat can exist in a superposition state, being simultaneously dead and alive. Since the standard Copenhagen interpretation is unable to assign any reality to the quantum superposition state, the paradox finds no resolution within the regime of this interpretation. Von Neumann's insistence on the uniform treatment of both microscopic (quantum) and macroscopic (classical) objects according to the laws of quantum mechanics provides a more consistent framework for the resolution of the paradox. In particular, the discovery of the phenomenon of decoherence, whereby the disappearance of the quantum interferences at the macro level is accounted for, suggests the onset of an extremely efficient interference relaxation process (10-23 s) upon the interaction of the two state particle with the detector. As a result, Schrodinger's cat can exist macroscopically either as dead or alive and never as a combination of both. Decoherence not only aids the resolution of the Schrodinger's Cat paradox but also sheds light upon the mechanisms by which the macro-world emerges from the microscopic quantum realm.
Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment profoundly reveals the fundamental tension between the principle of quantum superposition and macroscopic classicalreality. This paper systematically elaborates six emerging mathematical-physicalframeworks aimed at reconstructing this paradox: Dynamic Time Algebra, PostMarkovian Paradigm, Temporal Layer Causal Evolution Theory, Chronogroup Framework, Chronological Fiber Category Theory, and Origin of Order Theory. Thesetheories respectively start from algebraic, logical, homological, group-theoretic, categorical, and thermodynamic structures, demonstrating the essential reasons whymacroscopic systems cannot maintain quantum superpositions. They collectivelypoint to a core viewpoint: the classical state of the cat is not determined by theexternal observer’s ”looking”, but is spontaneously completed by an internal ”selfstabilization mechanism” initiated by the system itself before the observer’s intervention, in order to repair the ”structural fracture” at the micro-macro interface.The core contribution of this paper is to reveal that these six theories are not isolated but are manifestations of the same underlying physical process under differentmathematical projections. By analyzing their unification theorems, core mechanisms, and experimentally testable predictions (such as entropy production pulses,logical afterimages, critical slowing down, etc.), this paper provides a self-consistentstructural answer to the quantum measurement problem without introducing thecollapse postulate or many-world branches.
The entangled Schrodinger cat state obtained immediately upon measurement of a superposed two-state quantum system is often considered paradoxical because it appears to predict two macroscopically different outcomes, such as an alive and dead cat. However, nonlocal interferometry experiments testing momentum-entangled photon pairs over all phases demonstrate that the cat state does not fit this description and is not paradoxical. Both experiment and theory imply that it instead represents a superposition of two nonlocally coherent (i.e. phase-dependent) statistical correlations between its sub-systems. This is not paradoxical. Standard quantum theory rigorously predicts the experimentally-observed outcomes of this state. Neither sub-system is superposed; rather, the correlations between the states of the subsystems are superposed. This resolves the problem of definite outcomes. The nonlocal properties of entanglement then ensure that only one outcome occurs while the other outcome simultaneously does not occur, resolving a problem posed by Einstein in 1927. The single outcome that occurs then triggers an irreversible process leading to macroscopic registration of the outcome. This resolves the quantum measurement problem. Collapse occurs because of entanglement and does not require a special collapse postulate. Collapse is a consequence of standard quantum physics and the irreversible nature of the macroscopic registration.
Schrödinger's cat paradox has persisted for nearly a century as a demonstration of the apparent absurdity of quantum superposition when extended to macroscopic scales. This technical note demonstrates that the paradox dissolves entirely within the CAT'S Theory framework through the triadic invariant Reality = Pattern × Intent × Presence (P × I × Pr). We argue that the cat is neither "both alive and dead" nor the victim of mysterious collapse. Instead, superposition represents a state where Presence (Pr) has not yet instantiated, yielding P × I × 0 = 0 (potential but not actual). Measurement does not "cause" collapse through mysterious observer effects; it provides the Presence component required for actualization. This resolution eliminates the need for Multiple Worlds or hidden variables while maintaining consistency with quantum mechanical predictions.