Bonn 2020 – scientific programme

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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 8: Quantum Theory II

AGPhil 8.3: Talk

Thursday, April 2, 2020, 15:00–15:30, H-HS III

Inconsistencies in the foundations of relational quantum mechanics — •Alistair Whittle — University of Bristol

Carlo Rovelli claims that in quantum mechanics, two different observers can give different but nevertheless correct descriptions of the same sequence of events (1996: 1643). This main observation is used to propose a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, termed Relational Quantum Mechanics (RQM), in which the states and values of physical systems are indexed relative to different observers. This paper argues that the main observation that underpins RQM is inconsistent with two assumptions of its assumptions, namely, that interaction between systems is necessary for a system to have information about the other and that all physical systems are equivalent. As such, this paper argues that the main observation cannot sustain the relational interpretation of quantum mechanics that it originally motivated. However, in pointing out these inconsistencies, the paper argues that RQM can nevertheless be reinstated as a viable interpretation if we stay true to Rovelli's assumptions.