Skip Navigation

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
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrowScopus Links
Right arrowCiting Articles via CrossRef
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Becker, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

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


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.