The lines between physics and philosophy are not always clear. Nobody knows for sure to what degree spending more time on cleaning up the interpretation of quantum mechanics will possibly lead to new insights that could spur new physical discoveries, or if it is just something interesting to think about.
Most of the work on interpretation of quantum mechanics these days is done by philosophers, but there are a few physicists who also contribute from time to time (like Tom Banks).
I went to two different philosophy lectures on the interpretation of quantum mechanics while I was at UCSC, and they were both very interesting. Although sadly, I think philosophers could benefit from understanding the physics a bit better, some of them have a somewhat loose grasp on it. Tom also published a paper on his view of how to interpret quantum mechanics while I was there--actually, I guess it wasn't published, he just put it on arxiv.org for people to read.
And of course, Bruce and Fred wrote their book on the subject, unfortunately they are both so ignorant of philosophy they end up saying a lot of silly things about consciousness and free will. I think the best work gets done when physicists and philosophers work together, or when people cross over from one field to the other.
There's a picture I have of Tom standing next to David Albert, one of the foremost philosophers of physics who specializes on interpretations of quantum mechanics. They were at a conference dedicated to understanding the Arrow of Time, something else Tom also wrote a paper on, and that lots of philosophers like to think about too.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-12-03 09:01 pm (UTC)Most of the work on interpretation of quantum mechanics these days is done by philosophers, but there are a few physicists who also contribute from time to time (like Tom Banks).
I went to two different philosophy lectures on the interpretation of quantum mechanics while I was at UCSC, and they were both very interesting. Although sadly, I think philosophers could benefit from understanding the physics a bit better, some of them have a somewhat loose grasp on it. Tom also published a paper on his view of how to interpret quantum mechanics while I was there--actually, I guess it wasn't published, he just put it on arxiv.org for people to read.
And of course, Bruce and Fred wrote their book on the subject, unfortunately they are both so ignorant of philosophy they end up saying a lot of silly things about consciousness and free will. I think the best work gets done when physicists and philosophers work together, or when people cross over from one field to the other.
There's a picture I have of Tom standing next to David Albert, one of the foremost philosophers of physics who specializes on interpretations of quantum mechanics. They were at a conference dedicated to understanding the Arrow of Time, something else Tom also wrote a paper on, and that lots of philosophers like to think about too.