Ontological Issues in Quantum Theory

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Abstract

In this paper, we examine the concept of particle as it appears in quantum field theories, focusing on a puzzling situation regarding this concept. Although quantum ‘particles’ arise from fields, which form the basic ontology of QFT, and thus a certain concept of ‘particle’ is al- ways available, the properties ascribed to such ‘particles’ are not completely in agreement with the mathematical and logical description of such fields, which should be taken as individuals.

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Author Profiles

Otávio Bueno
University of Miami
Décio Krause
Federal University of Santa Catarina

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Identity in physics: a historical, philosophical, and formal analysis.Steven French & Decio Krause - 2006 - New York: Oxford University Press. Edited by Decio Krause.
Foundations of Set Theory.Abraham Adolf Fraenkel & Yehoshua Bar-Hillel - 1973 - Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA: Elsevier.
Quantum Mechanics: An Empiricist View.Paul Teller & Bas C. van Fraassen - 1995 - Philosophical Review 104 (3):457.
Scientific Theories, Models and the Semantic Approach.Otávio Bueno & Décio Krause - 2007 - Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology 11 (2):187-201.

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