On the Conceptual Structure of Quantum Mechanics

Dirk John Pons, Arion Pons, Ariel M. Pons +1 more

Quantum mechanics (QM) has the problem of lacking a coherent conceptual foundation, even if its quantitative algorithms are functionally adequate. This paper appraises the conceptual logic beneath quantum mechanics, using as the point of reference a novel alternative conceptual framework called the cordus conjecture. If the cordus conjecture is correct then the comparison suggests that quantum mechanics is conceptually fallacious in several areas: (1) Particles need not be zero-dimensional points after all. (2) Bell�s theorem is refuted as being not universally applicable, and the principle of locality also fails. (3) The wavefunction is a mathematical approximation of a deeper reality, and superposition is not a physical state. (4) Superposition confounds positional and causal (temporal) variability, and this causes the weirdness of the QM interpretations. (5) Cordus identifies the factors that cause decoherence and (6) explains why quantum mechanics does not scale up to macroscopic objects. (7) It is fallacious to consider fields and particles as independent phenomena. Instead they are closely coupled in the cordus, and this explains the measurement context. Several core principles of QM are thereby refuted. The paradox of Schr�dinger�s Cat is explained as an artefact of these flawed premises. The paper also explains why the mathematical machinery of quantum mechanics is a reasonable approximation to reality, even if the concepts are not. The mathematics works, at least within a certain scale-range where: (a) things look like particles and the proposed cordus structure is not evident (i.e. not too small) and (b) where body-coherence is attainable (i.e. not too large). Outside of that range quantum mechanics seems neither conceptually nor mathematically relevant. The same analysis predicts QM is unlikely to scale down to the next deeper level of physics. The implications are that QM is profoundly deficient in its conceptual foundations, and is only an approximation of a deeper and more logically consistent mechanics.

Carl Frederick

Mioara Mugur-Schächter

Philip L. Bowers

Paul Cooney

Arc VI — Experiment Paper 3 Title Diagnostic and Therapeutic Guidelines for Conceptual Pathologies in Quantum Mechanics Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18226039 Description This paper serves as a diagnostic and interpretive guide to longstanding conceptual pathologies in quantum mechanics, reframed through the lens of finite accessibility. Rather than proposing new dynamics or interpretations, it provides a systematic classification of common conceptual failures—such as nonlocality paradoxes, wavefunction realism, and observer-dependent inconsistencies—and traces them to implicit violations of accessibility constraints. Quantum phenomena traditionally regarded as paradoxical are reinterpreted as artifacts of treating geometrical or ontological structures as fundamental in a regime where only operational accessibility is well-defined. Measurement collapse, contextuality, and observer-relative state assignments are analyzed as predictable consequences of horizon activation and algebraic restriction, not physical discontinuities. The paper introduces a set of “diagnostic criteria” for identifying when a quantum argument has exceeded its domain of operational validity, alongside “therapeutic prescriptions” that restore consistency by removing surplus structure. These guidelines are illustrated across canonical examples including Bell tests, Wigner’s friend, Schrödinger’s cat, and delayed-choice experiments. By systematizing these corrections, the paper functions both as a conceptual reference for researchers and as a pedagogical tool, enabling practitioners to recognize and avoid interpretive errors that arise from illicit geometric importation. Keywords quantum foundations; measurement problem; contextuality; nonlocality; operational interpretation; conceptual diagnostics Notes Arc VI — Experiment (conceptual diagnostics and interpretation) No new dynamics or formalism introduced Identifies accessibility violations as root cause of QM paradoxes Provides practical criteria for evaluating quantum arguments Intended as both reference and pedagogical guide

Herman Rubin