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In Defense of the Metaphysics of Entanglement

Glick, David and Darby, George (2018) In Defense of the Metaphysics of Entanglement. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Quantum entanglement has long been thought to be have deep metaphysical consequences. For example, it has been claimed to show that Humean supervenience is false or to involve a novel form of ontological holism. One way to avoid confronting the metaphysical consequences is to adopt some form of antirealism. In this paper we discuss two prominent strands in recent literature—wavefunction realism and “Super-Humeanism”—that appear quite different, but, as we see it, are instances of a more general strategy. In effect, what these attempt to do is to diffuse the puzzle of entanglement by eliminating it. These interpretative movements are advertised as equally realist, but, we claim, fail to take an appropriately realist attitude towards entanglement. What we advocate instead is a genuine metaphysics of entanglement: instead of eliminating entanglement, develop a metaphysics that accounts for and explains it.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Glick, Daviddavid.glick@sydney.edu.au
Darby, Georgegeorge.a.darby@googlemail.com
Keywords: entanglement, metaphysics, super-Humean, Bohumean
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User: David Glick
Date Deposited: 20 Aug 2018 01:12
Last Modified: 20 Aug 2018 01:12
Item ID: 14945
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date: 18 August 2018
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14945

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