dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaDoes Quantum Mechanics Save Free Will?
| Authors | Laszlo E. Szabo |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/9506040 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9506040 |
Abstract
According to the widely accepted opinion, classical (statistical) physics does not support objective indeterminism, since the statistical laws of classical physics allow a deterministic hidden background, while --- as Arthur Fine writes polemizing with Gr\"unbaum --- "{\sl the antilibertarian position finds little room to breathe in a statistical world if we take laws of the quantum theory as exemplars of the statistical laws in such a world. So, it appears that, contrary to what Gr\"unbaum claims, the libertarians' 'could have done otherwise' does indeed find support from indeterminism if we take the indeterministic laws to be of the sort found in the quantum theory.}" In this paper I will show that, quite the contrary, quantum mechanics does not save free will. For instance, the EPR experiments are compatible with a deterministic world. They admit a deterministic local hidden parameter description if the deterministic model is 'allowed' to describe not only the measurement outcomes, but also the outcomes of the 'decisions' whether this or that measurement will be performed. So, the derivation of the freedom of the will from quantum mechanics is a tautology: from the assumption that the world is indeterministic it is derived that the world cannot be deterministic.
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"abstract": "According to the widely accepted opinion, classical (statistical) physics\ndoes not support objective indeterminism, since the statistical laws of\nclassical physics allow a deterministic hidden background, while --- as Arthur\nFine writes polemizing with Gr\\\"unbaum --- \"{\\sl the antilibertarian position\nfinds little room to breathe in a statistical world if we take laws of the\nquantum theory as exemplars of the statistical laws in such a world. So, it\nappears that, contrary to what Gr\\\"unbaum claims, the libertarians\u0027 \u0027could have\ndone otherwise\u0027 does indeed find support from indeterminism if we take the\nindeterministic laws to be of the sort found in the quantum theory.}\" In this\npaper I will show that, quite the contrary, quantum mechanics does not save\nfree will. For instance, the EPR experiments are compatible with a\ndeterministic world. They admit a deterministic local hidden parameter\ndescription if the deterministic model is \u0027allowed\u0027 to describe not only the\nmeasurement outcomes, but also the outcomes of the \u0027decisions\u0027 whether this or\nthat measurement will be performed. So, the derivation of the freedom of the\nwill from quantum mechanics is a tautology: from the assumption that the world\nis indeterministic it is derived that the world cannot be deterministic.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/9506040",
"authors": [
"Laszlo E. Szabo"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"title": "Does Quantum Mechanics Save Free Will?",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9506040"
},
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