Physics, asked by suufi, 11 months ago

Why is there so much controversy about interpreting quantum mechanics?

Answers

Answered by sssrohit005p4c0ey
1

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

Answered by Anonymous
0

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.

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