The standard theory of quantum mechanics has no intrinsic "collapse" or reduction. At most, it sometimes makes use of a "collapse postulate" that has no physical account in the theory itself and is applied to fill the explanatory gap between the usual unitary evolution (which, in general, does not yield a determinate result--that's the "Schrodinger's … Continue reading Is standard (unitary-only) quantum theory refuted? →

It seems that many scientists are eager to throw in the towel on free will. This somewhat technical article, published in Probing the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics: Superpositions, Dynamics, Semantics and Identity , Eds. D. Aerts et al, (2016) https://doi.org/10.1142/10185 , explains why that is a serious mistake. If anything, our best physical theories actually suggest … Continue reading Why arguments against free will based on physics are hugely overrated →

A recent experiment in the lab, billed as a "Wigner's Friend" experiment, has been interpreted as a test of "local observer independence." The authors claim the experiment shows that observers must irreconcilably disagree on facts related to quantum measurements. The paper linked below (recently accepted in Foundations of Physics) shows that this is a misinterpretation … Continue reading No, different observers do not see “irreconcilable facts”: on “Wigner’s Friend” →

Jeffrey has been thinking about postmortem survival and wanted to discuss the implications of various physical theories for this question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aME8UONGRFg

The 2nd edition of my 2012 book The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (Cambridge University Press) will be coming out in the fall of 2021. Below is an excerpt from Chapter 8, on the emergence of spacetime in the transactional picture. Comments welcome! The Relativistic Transactional Interpretation and Spacetime EmergenceDownload

I recently gave a talk at an online conference presented by the University of Singapore's Center for Quantum Technologies. I discuss how the transactional picture can account for measurement and eliminate many of the problems of standard quantum theory. You can see the talk here: https://youtu.be/26ht9J-E-hg?t=170

I'm celebrating the advent of 2021 with a post featuring the very latest theoretical developments supporting the Relativistic Transactional Interpretation (RTI): The Relativistic Transactional Interpretation and The Quantum Direct-Action Theory This material is based on Chapter 5 of the forthcoming 2nd Edition of my book The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: The Reality of Possibility … Continue reading Happy New Year! …and the latest on RTI →

It is with great excitement that I announce the creation of a new independent, non-profit academic research institute: The Quantum Institute. We are in the early stages of organization, but already moving ahead with some exciting research. Visit our new site to learn about what we're doing!

In this post, I address a question that pops up from time to time as a possible objection to the transactional picture. The scenario involves a very distant star that engages in a transaction with a person’s eye, so that they see the star as it existed billions of years ago. But suppose the star … Continue reading A Common Worry About TI and Why It’s Not a Problem →