Interpreting Quantum Mechanics

Lars-Göran Johansson is from the Department of Philosophy at Uppsala University, Sweden.

• Contents: Interpretative problems in quantum mechanics; Realism and understanding; Individuation and identity in the quantum world; Quantum objects are waves; Particle behaviour of waves; The measurement problem; Quantum mechanical spin; Nonlocality; Gentle criticism; Summary and conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

'This is a fascinating book and I learnt a lot from reading it. Johansson introduces a new, highly interesting definition of realism and carries it through in a discussion of the major issues in the philosophy of quantum mechanics. In doing this he adds important new insights in the subject. I strongly recommend this book to all who are interested in the philosophy of physics.' Sven Ove Hansson, KTH (Royal University of Technology) Sweden 'Interpreting Quantum Mechanics argues for a revival of a revised version of Schrödinger´s assumption that the quantum physical reality ultimately consists of waves. It is, according to the author, an unfortunate combination of accidental historical circumstances and the mathematical difficulty of developing a wave-ontology consistent with quantisation that has hindered progress in this direction. The book convincingly argues that such an ontological program is possible and that it is the first step towards a realistic interpretation of QM. This modified version of Schrödinger's approach capably handles well-known interpretational problems in QM, such as the Born rule, the wave-particle dualism, the measurement problem and non-locality. The presentation and discussion is carried out both on a technical and an intuitive level and is therefore accessible to philosophers without extensive background in physics, as well as physicists who do not have a philosophical background. A number of alternative contemporary ways to deal with the above four questions and the interpretation of the quantum formalism in general is also presented and evaluated in a competent and penetrating way. Martin Edman, Umeå University, Sweden