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arXiv:quant-ph/9702012

The Plight of `I Am'

Joy Christian

Published Feb 4, 1997• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This is a short metaphysical fable accentuating the conceptual difficulties involved, and succinctly criticizing the approaches pursued since the inception of quantum theory, in dealing with what is known collectively as `the measurement problem.' It includes some landmark references, and has appeared in the special issue of Metaphysical Review dedicated to Descartes on his 400th birthday: Metaphysical Review, vol. 3, no. 1, July 1996.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/9702012

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This is a short metaphysical fable accentuating the conceptual difficulties involved, and succinctly criticizing the approaches pursued since the inception of quantum theory, in dealing with what is known collectively as `the measurement problem.' It includes some landmark references, and has appeared in the special issue of Metaphysical Review dedicated to Descartes on his 400th birthday: Metaphysical Review, vol. 3, no. 1, July 1996.
Martin C. Gutzwiller has made groundbreaking contributions in several fundamental areas of physics. These works range from the Gutzwiller wave function for strongly correlated electrons to the likewise eponymous trace formula, powerful for quantization of chaotic systems, and mathematical studies of the orbit of the moon. His interests also include the history of classical and quantum mechanics. In recognition of the high esteem that Martin enjoys among his peers, we tried to reach out to those who have been inspired by Martin's works and put forth a festschrift honoring our distinguished colleague on the occasion of his 75th birthday in October of 2000 in the following few special issues of Foundations of Physics. The first issue contains a collection of papers related to Solid State Physics, and the remaining issues will cover mostly other areas of physics. All the contributions appearing in the Gutzwiller special issues are invited papers dedicated to Martin Gutzwiller. We are delighted to be able to celebrate Martin's 75th birthday together in this festschrift. Martin, Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!
Q UANTUM MECHANICS, TOGETHER WITH RELATIVITY, are the basis of most of what we know of the very large, the very small, and the very fast.And in all of these areas our knowledge is extensive.It would be hard to say how good these theories are; arithmetic, one might say, is good mathematics.For all that, there is a problem, a strange and amorphous difficulty: it is the problem of measurement.This problem has become much more interesting, and much more pressing, as a result of some recent developments.Hitherto the difficulty has been so peculiar, and so formless, that physicists have on the whole thought it a matter of philosophy.But that is not quite right (or that is what I shall argue).It is certainly philosophical, but it is also a matter of methodology, a question of what physics is to do; and now the matter has come to seem quite pressing.In this sense the measurement problem has become a problem for physics.But what is the problem of measurement?As a first stab, we can say this: on the basis of quantum mechanics, there is a difficulty in accounting for the
ABSTRACT This essay aims at reviewing one of the major difficulties affecting the standard formulation of quantum mechanics, that is, the well‐known measurement problem. As it will be explained, the latter originates as a consequence of the quantum theory's postulates. Referring to this, we analyze in particular the conceptual issues implied by the projection (or collapse) rule. After having presented the measurement problem, we then illustrate three possible solutions offered by major interpretations of/alternatives to quantum theory: Bohmian mechanics, Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber theories, and the many‐worlds interpretation. As the reader will see, these theoretical frameworks solve this issue by virtue of their unambiguous ontologies and consistent dynamical laws. Finally, a synopsis of the open debates and future perspectives concerning the measurement problem in relativistic contexts concludes the paper.