Constructibility of the Universal Wave Function

Foundations of Physics 46 (10):1253-1268 (2016)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This paper focuses on a constructive treatment of the mathematical formalism of quantum theory and a possible role of constructivist philosophy in resolving the foundational problems of quantum mechanics, particularly, the controversy over the meaning of the wave function of the universe. As it is demonstrated in the paper, unless the number of the universe’s degrees of freedom is fundamentally upper bounded or hypercomputation is physically realizable, the universal wave function is a non-constructive entity in the sense of constructive recursive mathematics. This means that even if such a function might exist, basic mathematical operations on it would be undefinable and subsequently the only content one would be able to deduce from this function would be pure symbolical.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,219

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Decoherence and Wave Function Collapse.Roland Omnès - 2011 - Foundations of Physics 41 (12):1857-1880.
Statistical mechanics and the ontological interpretation.D. Bohm & B. J. Hiley - 1996 - Foundations of Physics 26 (6):823-846.

Analytics

Added to PP
2016-05-10

Downloads
25 (#598,332)

6 months
3 (#902,269)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Basic proof theory.A. S. Troelstra - 1996 - New York: Cambridge University Press. Edited by Helmut Schwichtenberg.
Worlds in the Everett interpretation.David Wallace - 2002 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 33 (4):637-661.
Quantum probability and many worlds.Meir Hemmo - 2007 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 38 (2):333-350.

View all 13 references / Add more references