Quantum Ontology and Metaphysics
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V I I I N T E R N A T I O N A L W O R K S H O P O N Q U A N T U M M E C H A N I C S A N D Q U A N T U M I N F O R M A T I O N Q U A N T U M O N T O L O G Y A N D M E T A P H Y S I C S C R I S T I A N D E R O N D E J O N A S R . B E C K E R A R E N H A R T R A O N I W O H N R A T H A R R O Y O ( O R G S . ) B O O K O F A B S T R A C T S F L O R I A N Ó P O L I S 2 0 2 1 VII International Workshop on Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information: Quantum Ontology and Metaphysics BOOK OF ABSTRACTS Graduate Program in Philosophy Federal University of Santa Catarina Florianópolis, 2021 VII International Workshop on Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information: Quantum Ontology and Metaphysics Federal University of Santa Catarina Florianópolis, SC – Brazil April 15–16 and 22–23 2021 Online workshop due to the covid-19 pandemic Promoted by: Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Graduate Program in Philosophy (PPGFIL) Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) University of Buenos Aires (UBA) National University Arturo Jauretche (UNAJ) Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies (CLEA) University of Cagliari Scientific Committee Otávio Bueno Christian de Ronde Décio Krause Organizing Committee Christian de Ronde Jonas Rafael Becker Arenhart Raoni Wohnrath Arroyo For further information: quantuminternationalnet.com Participants Diederik Aerts Brussels Free University – CLEA International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Valia Allori Northern Illinois University – Philosophy Dept. John Bell Institute for the Foundation of Physics Society for the Metaphysics of Science Jonas R. Becker Arenhart UFSC – Dept. of Philosophy Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Raoni Wohnrath Arroyo UFSC – Graduate Program in Philosophy Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Otávio Bueno University of Miami – Dept. of Philosophy Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Christina Conroy Morehead State University – Dept. of History, Philosophy, Politics, Global Studies & Legal Studies Philosophy of Science Association Society for the Metaphysics of Science iii Christian de Ronde UBA – Philosophy Institute Dr. A. Korn – CONICET UNAJ – Institute of Engineering Brussels Free University – CLEA UFSC – Dept. of Philosophy Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi Brussels Free University – CLEA Laboratorio di Autoricerca di Base International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Mauro Dorato Roma Tre University – Dept. of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts Society for the Metaphysics of Science Olival Freire Jr. Federal University of Bahia (UFBa) – Physics Institute Graduate Program in Teaching, Philosophy and History of Sciences – UFBa Hector Freytes University of Cagliari – Dept. of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Roberto Giuntini University of Cagliari – Dept. of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Décio Krause UFSC – Dept. of Philosophy UFRJ – Graduate Program in Logic and Metaphysics Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Moisés Macías-Bustos University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Humanities & Fine Arts – Dept. of Philosophy iv María del Rosario Martínez-Ordaz Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – Graduate Program in Philosophy National Postdoctoral Program – PNPD/CAPES César Massri UBA – Institute of Mathematical Investigations Luis A. Santaló – CON- ICET CAECE University – Dept. of Mathematics Matteo Morganti Roma Tre University – Dept. of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts Society for the Metaphysics of Science Raimundo Fernández-Mouján UBA – Dept. of Philosophy Brussels Free University – CLEA International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Donnchadh O’Conaill University of Fribourg – Dept. of Philosophy EXRE (Experience & Reason) Osvaldo Pessoa Jr. University of São Paulo – Dept. of Philosophy Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Literature, and Human Sciences Group of Logic and Foundations of Science – CNPq Emanuele Rossanese Roma Tre University – Dept. of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts Giuseppe Sergioli University of Cagliari – Dept. of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy International Network on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Tuomas Tahko University of Bristol – Dept. of Philosophy MetaScience: The Metaphysical Unity of Science Project Society for the Metaphysics of Science Diana Taschetto University of São Paulo – Program of Graduate Study in Philosophy (Ph.D) Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Literature, and Human Sciences v Contents Diederik Aerts and Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi. The quantum conceptual turn .......................... 8 Jonas R. Becker Arenhart and Raoni Wohnrath Arroyo. Whence deep realism for Everettian quantum mechanics? ....... 9 Christian de Ronde and César Massri. Relational Quantum Entan- glement Beyond Non-Separable and Contextual Relativism .. 9 Raimundo Fernández-Mouján. The quantum and the Greek: the return to Greek philosophy in the works of Heisenberg, Pauli and Schrödinger ......................... 10 María del Rosario Martínez-Ordaz. Methodologies for the achieve- ment of understanding in quantum mechanics: the case of primitive ontology ........................ 10 Valia Allori. Quantum scientific realism: or how I learned to stop worrying and love quantum mechanics? ............ 12 Giuseppe Sergioli, Hector Freytes, and Roberto Giuntini. Quantum information theory: from foundations to no-standard applica- tions ................................ 13 Décio Krause. On some criticisms to the Received View of quantum objects ............................... 14 Matteo Morganti. Quantum coherentism ............... 14 Christina Conroy, Donnchadh O’Conaill, and Tuomas Tahko. Quantum holism and essential dispositions ........... 15 Mauro Dorato and Emanuele Rossanese. What is the ontology of quantum field theory? ...................... 17 vi Moisés Macías-Bustos. Connecting two objections from fundamen- tal physics to Humean supervenience: the spacetime assumption 17 Osvaldo Pessoa Jr. Ontology of molecules .............. 19 Diana Taschetto. Planck’s classical quantum ............. 20 Olival Freire Jr. Making sense of the century-old scientific contro- versy over the quanta ....................... 20 Otávio Bueno. Necessity and contingency: quantum mechanics and empiricist modalism ....................... 21 vii Abstracts The quantum conceptual turn Diederik Aerts Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi Quantum mechanics has maintained over the years the reputation of being “the most obscure theory”. It works perfectly well but nobody seems to know why. It has been argued that the difficulty in understanding quantum theory is our failed attempt to force onto it a wrong conceptual scheme, wanting at all costs to think about the “objects” of the theory as, precisely, objects, i.e., entities having continuously actual spatiotemporal properties. This too restrictive spatiotemporal scheme is obviously incorrect, as also underlined by the Einsteinian revolution, but then what would be the correct one? Many thinkers have suggested that we must simply surrender to the fact that our physical world is one of immanent powers and potencies. Aristotle did so ante (quantum) litteram, followed by scholars like Heisenberg, Primas, Shimony, Piron, Kastner, Kauffman, de Ronde, just to name a few, including the authors who were both students of Piron in Geneva. However, if on the one hand a potentiality ontology puts the accent on the processes of change, responsible for the incessant shifts between actual and potential properties, on the other hand it does not tell what these changes are all about. In other words, the (metaphysical) question remains of identifying the nature of the bearer of these potencies, or potentialities, and of the entities that are capable of actualizing them. It is the purpose of the present article to emphasize that the above question has found a comprehensive answer in the recent Conceptuality Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, which we believe offers the missing ontology to make the theory fully intelligible, and even intuitive. In doing this, we will also emphasize the importance of carefully distinguishing the different conceptual layers that are contained in its explanatory edifice, as only in this way one can properly understand and fully appreciate the explanatory power it offers, without promoting undue reductionisms and/or anthropomorphizations. Whence deep realism for Everettian quantum mechanics? Jonas R. Becker Arenhart Raoni Wohnrath Arroyo It has been advanced that one cannot legitimately be a scientific re- alist about X without delving into deep metaphysical questions about X: this is ‘deep’ realism (as opposed to the ‘shallow’ or ersatz realism).