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Metaphysical indeterminacy in Everettian quantum mechanics.

David GlickBaptiste Le Bihan
Published in: European journal for philosophy of science (2024)
The question of whether Everettian quantum mechanics (EQM) justifies the existence of metaphysical indeterminacy has recently come to the fore. Metaphysical indeterminacy has been argued to emerge from three sources: coherent superpositions, the indefinite number of branches in the quantum multiverse and the nature of these branches. This paper reviews the evidence and concludes that those arguments don't rely on EQM alone and rest on metaphysical auxiliary assumptions that transcend the physics of EQM. We show how EQM can be ontologically interpreted without positing metaphysical indeterminacy by adopting a deflationary attitude towards branches. Two ways of developing the deflationary view are then proposed: one where branches are eliminated, and another where they are reduced to the universal quantum state.
Keyphrases
  • molecular dynamics
  • energy transfer
  • monte carlo
  • drinking water
  • randomized controlled trial
  • systematic review
  • quantum dots