Overview

This book develops a detailed account of the emergence of world histories from the discontinuous, stochastic micro dynamics of Tychistic Bohmian Mechanics (TBM). TBM is a non-relativistic quantum theory. It results from excising the guiding equation from standard Bohmian Mechanics (BM) and reinterpreting the quantum equilibrium hypothesis as a stochastic guidance law for the random actualization of configurations of Bohmian particles. The author introduces worlds, and world histories, as key concepts in providing a link between TBM’s micro dynamics and macroscopic phenomena. Worlds, other than Barbourian time capsules, are coarse-grained regions in phase- or configuration space, defined as sets of possible micro states satisfying a relation of sufficient similarity from a macroscopic perspective, with respect to a given micro state. Hence, worlds may overlap. By providing a detailed explanation of how overlapping worlds in TBM form world histories, an account of how macroscopically distinct worlds are linked to each other is provided. Thus, the problem of temporal solipsism is resolved in a way that is compatible with a more than minimal psychophysical parallelism. This book is of interest to researchers and students in the philosophy of science, in particular the philosophy of physics, but also to metaphysicians. It is especially valuable to scholars working on the issue of interpreting Quantum Mechanics and exploring the field of possible interpretations and alternative theories.

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9783032146311

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Alexander Ehmann is a research assistant in the DFG-funded projects American Realism in the Early 20th Century and Consciousness Externalized? American Realism, Behaviorism, and Neobehaviorism at the Intersection of Perception and Environment, based at the University of Mainz. His research spans the philosophy of physics, metaphysics of science, the history and philosophy of science, and theoretical oncology. He received his PhD from Lingnan University in Hong Kong, following studies at the University of Tübingen, and held an Ernst Mach Fellowship at the University of Salzburg. He is the editor of the forthcoming volume Phenomenological and Direct Realism (The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy, Routledge) and of Direct Realism: Historical and Systematic Perspectives (Topoi, Springer, 2024). His work has appeared in journals including Synthese and Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. His current research develops new metaphysical and interpretive frameworks for quantum theory, including the Tychistic Bohmian approach examined in this book.

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