Why is there so much controversy about interpreting quantum mechanics?
Answers
A: Interpretations of quantum mechanics cannot be falsified by experimental
tests, and so there is no good way of eliminating the inadequate ones. The problem
of QM interpretation is compounded because there are no social forces propelling
the physics and philosophy communities to settle on one interpretation and adopt
it as the standard, as is normally done with testable physical theories. Rather the
social forces work in the other direction, giving rewards in the form of recognition,
conference invitations, and tenure to those who “do their own thing” in the area of QM
interpretations, since it is a playground where their ideas cannot be tested or falsified.
There seems to be more prestige in having your own interpretation than in adopting
someone else’s. In lieu of testing interpretations by performing experiments, the
philosophy-of-science community seems to have devolved to “challenges” in which
advocates of each interpretation attempt to poke holes in the interpretations of their
rivals. This is rather like horseback-mounted knights engaging in jousting duels in
a medieval court. It may be entertaining to spectators and some participants, but it
does not promote convergence
Answer:
thought-provoking of all the ways in which quantum mechanics has been interpreted. In its most familiar guise, the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) suggests that we live in a near-infinity of universes, all superimposed in the same physical space but mutually isolated and evolving independently. In many of these universes there exist replicas of you and me, all but indistinguishable yet leading other lives.
The MWI illustrates just how peculiarly quantum theory forces us to think. It is an intensely controversial view. Arguments about the interpretation of quantum mechanics are noted for their passion, as disagreements that can’t be settled by objective evidence are wont to be. But when the MWI is in the picture, those passions can become so extreme that we must suspect a great deal more invested in the matter than simply the resolution of a scientific puzzle.
The MWI is qualitatively different from the other interpretations of quantum mechanics, although that’s rarely recognized or admitted. For the interpretation speaks not just to quantum mechanics itself but to what we consider knowledge and understanding to mean in science. It asks us what sort of theory, in the end, we will demand or accept as a claim to know the world.