February 6, 2023

THE PARADIGM ALWAYS SHIFTS:

Gödel's Proof And Einstein's Dice: Undecidability In Mathematics And Physics - Part I (Jochen Szangolies, 2/06/23, 3 Quarks)

The problem of quantum mechanics is typically phrased in terms of interpretation: we have been given--whether by divine providence or diabolic mischief--this theory, that describes the results of our experiments with unprecedented precision; now, what does it tell us about the world? However, where science is usually a story of unification--the electric and magnetic phenomena being unified in Maxwell's theory; the behavior of elementary particles subsumed in the Standard Model--there has been little in the way of convergence regarding the interpretation of quantum mechanics. To the contrary, new interpretations seem to branch off at an alarming rate, much like parallel worlds are proposed to do in one of the leading contenders, the many-worlds interpretation by Wheeler's student Hugh Everett III. Showcasing this embarrassment of riches, the wikipedia article currently lists 15 different 'influential' interpretations of quantum mechanics, and many more 'minority' approaches persist.

Perhaps, then, a different approach to the problem of quantum mechanics is called for. 

Posted by at February 6, 2023 12:00 AM

  

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