That von Neumann Did Not Believe in a Physical Collapse
Abstract
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.
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Introduction
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The standard reading of von Neumann
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The standard reading of von Neumann and Chapter VI
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The Chapter VI argument
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The Chapter V argument
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The Chapters III and IV argument
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Conclusion
