Primitive ontology and quantum field theory

Primitive ontology and quantum field theory

Primitive ontology is a recently much discussed approach to the ontology of quantum theory according to which the theory is ultimately about entities in 3-dimensional space and their temporal evolution. This paper critically discusses the primitive ontologies that have been suggested within the Bohmian approach to quantum field theory in the light of the existence of unitarily inequivalent repr...

Towards an Ontology for Quantum Field Theory

The recent work of P. Teller and S. Auyang in the philosophy of Quantum Field Theory (QFT) has stimulated the search for the fundamental entities of that theory. In QFT, the classical notion of a particle collapses. The theory does not only forbid classical, i.e. spatiotemporally identifiable particles, but it makes particles of the same type conceptually indistinguishable. Teller and Auyang ha...

The ontology of quantum field theory: Structural realism vindicated?

In this paper I elicit a prediction from structural realism and compare it, not to a historical case, but to a contemporary scientific theory. If structural realism is correct, then we should expect physics to develop theories that fail to provide an ontology of the sort sought by traditional realists. If structure alone is responsible for instrumental success, we should expect surplus ontology...

Primitive ontology and quantum state in the GRW matter density theory

The paper explains in what sense the GRW matter density theory (GRWm) is a primitive ontology theory of quantum mechanics and why, thus conceived, the standard objections against the GRW formalism do not apply to GRWm. We consider the different options for conceiving the quantum state in GRWm and argue that dispositionalism is the most attractive one.

Quasi-Primitive Rings and Density Theory