Imposing system-observer symmetry on the von Neumann description of measurement

TL;DR

This paper explores how imposing symmetry between system and observer in quantum measurement reveals that the measurement problem is akin to reverse-engineering device behavior, suggesting a relational approach as a potential solution.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective by linking the quantum measurement problem to reverse-engineering physical device behavior through symmetry considerations.

Findings

Measurement problem is structurally equivalent to reverse-engineering device behavior.

Relational solutions are proposed as the best approach.

Imposing symmetry clarifies the nature of quantum measurement.

Abstract

By imposing system-observer symmetry on the von Neumann description of measurement, it is shown that the quantum measurement problem is structurally equivalent to a familiar reverse-engineering problem: that of describing the behavior of an arbitrary physical device as algorithm instantiation. It is suggested that this problem can at best be given a relational solution.