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The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 2004 55(1):121-135; doi:10.1093/bjps/55.1.121
© 2004 by British Society for the Philosophy of Science
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That von Neumann Did Not Believe in a Physical Collapse

Lon Becker

Department of Philosophy, 305 Shatzel Hall, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43404

Many works intended to introduce interpretive issues in quantum mechanics present John von Neumann as having a view in which measurement produces a physical collapse in the system being measured. In this paper I argue that such a reading of von Neumann is inconsistent with what von Neumann actually says. I show that much of what he says makes no sense on the physical collapse reading, but falls into place if we assume he does not have such a view. I show that the physical collapse view is based on an understanding of ‘state’ which von Neumann does not share.

  1. Introduction
  2. The standard reading of von Neumann
  3. The standard reading of von Neumann and Chapter VI
  4. The Chapter VI argument
  5. The Chapter V argument
  6. The Chapters III and IV argument
  7. Conclusion


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