Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 5: Quantum-Classical Divide III

AGPhil 5.2: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 20, 2014, 17:00–17:45, SPA SR22

Collapsing to classicality: on the ontology of dynamical collapse theories — •Wayne C. Myrvold — Department of Philosophy, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

Dynamical collapse theories are intended to yield, at the macroscopic level, a world of objects that act appropriately like classical objects. There has been extensive discussion of late about the ontology appropriate to collapse theories, much of it focused on the question of whether the wave function needs to be supplemented by primitive ontology that goes above and beyond the wav function. This paper will examine the question: "What does it take to be an object?" and will argue for the claim that collapse theories can yield a world of classical objects, with nothing other than wave functions, properly construed.