On the Relationship Between Modelling Practices and Interpretive Stances in Quantum Mechanics

Foundations of Science 27 (2):387-405 (2022)
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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to establish a connection between modelling practices and interpretive approaches in quantum mechanics, taking as a starting point the literature on scientific representation. Different types of modalities play different roles in scientific representation. I postulate that the way theoretical structures are interpreted in this respect affects the way models are constructed. In quantum mechanics, this would be the case in particular of initial conditions and observables. I examine two formulations of quantum mechanics, the standard wave-function formulation and the consistent histories formulation, and show that they correspond to opposite stances, which confirms my approach. Finally, I examine possible strategies for deciding between these stances.

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Quentin Ruyant
Complutense University of Madrid

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References found in this work

The Scientific Image.William Demopoulos & Bas C. van Fraassen - 1982 - Philosophical Review 91 (4):603.
Scientific perspectivism.Ronald N. Giere - 2006 - Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Science without laws.Ronald N. Giere - 1999 - Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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