Relativity, Quantum Entanglement, Counterfactuals, and Causation

Fenton-Glynn, Luke; Kroedel, Thomas

doi:10.1093/bjps/axt040

Cited by 18 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…For an extended argument that there is no strong reason to prefer either the broad or the narrow fixed past approach to counterfactuals, seeBigaj (2006, pp. 219-224).15 This proposal is developed and defended inFenton-Glynn and Kroedel (2015). See alsoLaudisa (1999Laudisa ( , 2001.…”

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On quantum entanglement, counterfactuals, causality and dispositions

Bigaj

2017

Synthese

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The existence of non-local correlations between outcomes of measurements in quantum entangled systems strongly suggests that we are dealing with some form of causation here. An assessment of this conjecture in the context of the collapse interpretation of quantum mechanics is the primary goal of this paper. Following the counterfactual approach to causation, I argue that the details of the underlying causal mechanism which could explain the non-local correlations in entangled states strongly depend on the adopted semantics for counterfactuals. Several relativistically-invariant interpretations of spatiotemporal counterfactual conditionals are discussed, and the corresponding causal stories describing interactions between parts of an entangled system are evaluated. It is observed that the most controversial feature of the postulated causal connections is not so much their non-local character as a peculiar type of circularity that affects them.

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On quantum entanglement, counterfactuals, causality and dispositions

Bigaj

2017

Synthese

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Quantum Theory and the Place of Mind in the Causal Order of Things

Pylkkänen

2019

Synthese Library

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The received view in physicalist philosophy of mind assumes that causation can only take place at the physical domain and that the physical domain is causally closed. It is often thought that this leaves no room for mental states qua mental to have a causal influence upon the physical domain, leading to epiphenomenalism and the problem of mental causation. However, in recent philosophy of causation there has been growing interest in a line of thought that can be called causal anti-fundamentalism: causal notions cannot play a role in physics, because the fundamental laws of physics are radically different from causal laws. Causal anti-fundamentalism seems to challenge the received view in physicalist philosophy of mind and thus raises the possibility of there being genuine mental causation after all. This paper argues that while causal antifundamentalism provides a possible route to mental causation, we have reasons to think that it is incorrect. Does this mean that we have to accept the received view and give up the hope of genuine mental causation? I will suggest that the ontological interpretation of quantum theory provides us both with a view about the nature of causality in fundamental physics, as well as a view how genuine mental causation can be compatible with our fundamental (quantum) physical ontology.

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A new future similarity objection

Kroedel

2017

Philos Stud

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Relativity, Quantum Entanglement, Counterfactuals, and Causation

Cited by 18 publications

References 33 publications

On quantum entanglement, counterfactuals, causality and dispositions

On quantum entanglement, counterfactuals, causality and dispositions

Quantum Theory and the Place of Mind in the Causal Order of Things

A new future similarity objection

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