On Explaining Quantum Correlations: Causal vs. Non-Causal

Abstract

At the basis of the problem of explaining non-local quantum correlations lies the tension between two factors: on the one hand, the natural interpretation of correlations as the manifestation of a causal relation; on the other, the resistance on the part of the physics underlying said correlations to adjust to the most essential features of a pre-theoretic notion of causation. In this paper, I argue for the rejection of the first horn of the dilemma, i.e., the assumption that quantum correlations call for a causal explanation. The paper is divided into two parts. The first, destructive, part provides a critical overview of the enterprise of causally interpreting non-local quantum correlations, with the aim of warning against the temptation of an account of causation claiming to cover such correlations ‘for free’. The second, constructive, part introduces the so-called structural explanation (a variety of non-causal explanation that shows how the explanandum is the manifestation of a fundamental structure of the world) and argues that quantum correlations might be explained structurally in the context of an information-theoretic approach to QT.

Quantum Mechanics: Statistical Balance Prompts Caution in Assessing Conceptual Implications

“…Claimed definite implications might reflect some combination of: imprecise non-mathematical language; assumptions which are, at best, open to challenge; and inadequate statistical analysis [ 2 ] [ 40 ] (Section 4) [ 68 ] (Section 7) [ 121 ] [ 122 ] (Appendix) [ 123 ] (Section 4) [ 124 ] (Section 13.5) [ 125 , 126 , 127 ] [ 128 ] (Section 2). For example, referring to correlations and causation in this context can be misleading [ 1 ] (Section 5.3) [ 129 , 130 , 131 ], and “it is a non-trivial task to distinguish between the effects of measurement uncertainties and the intrinsic statistics of the state” [ 132 ] (p. 2). A further difficulty relates to the unresolved conceptual difficulties relating to spin ( Section 2.2 above), which are directly relevant to the Bell analyses [ 49 ] (Section 7).…”

Ontology of a Wavefunction from the Perspective of an Invariant Proper Time

“…The notions of nonlocality and simultaneity are thus inferred by quantum mechanics while being forbidden by the postulates of relativity. The notions of non-locality, causation, and time in QM are discussed in the papers of L. Felline and K. Thomsen [8,9].…”