Quantum decoherence in a pragmatist view: Resolving the measurement problem

TL;DR

This paper proposes that a pragmatist interpretation of quantum mechanics, combined with decoherence, offers a satisfactory resolution to the measurement problem by reframing the role of the quantum state and the application of the Born Rule.

Contribution

It introduces a pragmatist perspective that dissolves the measurement problem and clarifies the use of the Born Rule through decoherence, challenging traditional views.

Findings

The measurement problem dissolves under a pragmatist interpretation.

Decoherence helps determine when to apply the Born Rule.

Quantum field theory's lack of particle descriptions is compatible with this view.

Abstract

This paper aims to show how adoption of a pragmatist interpretation permits a satisfactory resolution of the quantum measurement problem. The classic measurement problem dissolves once one recognizes that it is not the function of the quantum state to describe or represent the behavior of a quantum system. The residual problem of when, and to what, to apply the Born Rule may then be resolved by judicious appeal to decoherence. This can give sense to talk of measurements of photons and other particles even though quantum field theory does not describe particles.