The physics and metaphysics of Tychistic Bohmian Mechanics

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 90:168-183 (2021)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The paper takes up Bell's “Everett theory” and develops it further. The resulting theory is about the system of all particles in the universe, each located in ordinary, 3-dimensional space. This many-particle system as a whole performs random jumps through 3N-dimensional configuration space – hence “Tychistic Bohmian Mechanics”. The distribution of its spontaneous localisations in configuration space is given by the Born Rule probability measure for the universal wavefunction. Contra Bell, the theory is argued to satisfy the minimal desiderata for a Bohmian theory within the Primitive Ontology framework. TBM's formalism is that of ordinary Bohmian Mechanics, without the postulate of continuous particle trajectories and their deterministic dynamics. This “rump formalism” receives, however, a different interpretation. We defend TBM as an empirically adequate and coherent quantum theory. Objections voiced by Bell and Maudlin are rebutted. The “for all practical purposes”-classical, Everettian worlds exist sequentially in TBM. In a temporally coarse-grained sense, they quasi-persist. By contrast, the individual particles themselves cease to persist.

Similar books and articles

Bohmian mechanics without wave function ontology.Albert Solé - 2013 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 44 (4):365-378.
Bohmian Classical Limit in Bounded Regions.Davide Romano - 2016 - In Felline Laura & L. Felline A. Paoli F. Ledda E. Rossanese (eds.), New Directions in Logic and the Philosophy of Science (SILFS proceedings, vol. 3). College Publications. pp. 303-317.
Primitive ontology and quantum field theory.Vincent Lam - 2015 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 5 (3):387-397.
Muchos Mundos Bohmianos.Albert Solé - 2012 - Scientiae Studia 10 (1):105-136.
The Ontology of Bohmian Mechanics.M. Esfeld, D. Lazarovici, Mario Hubert & D. Durr - 2014 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 65 (4):773-796.

Analytics

Added to PP
2021-11-16

Downloads
319 (#66,880)

6 months
139 (#29,198)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Alexander Ehmann
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz