Spooky Action at No Distance: On the individuation of quantum mechanical systems

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the EPR paradox, highlighting its epistemological roots and proposing a novel resolution through a metaphysical shift from individualism to individuation, reconciling quantum entanglement with core concepts like realism and causality.

Contribution

It introduces a new metaphysical framework based on individuation to resolve the EPR paradox without abandoning fundamental concepts.

Findings

The paradox is rooted in epistemological issues.

A metaphysical shift to individuation resolves the paradox.

Core concepts like realism and causality are preserved.

Abstract

Recent experiments have perfectly verified the fact that quantum correlations between two entangled particles are stronger than any classical, local pre-quantum worldview allows. This is famously called the EPR paradox first conceived as a thought experiment and decades later realized in the lab. We discuss in depth the nature of the paradox and show that the problematics it presents is first and foremost epistemological. After briefly exploring resolutions to the paradox that after many decades of discourse still remain controversial, we argue that the paradox is rooted in the failure of our current metaphysical scheme, being the foundation of our knowledge, to accommodate and cohere our knowledge of the phenomena of entanglement. We then develop and make the case for a novel and more fundamental resolution of the paradox by changing the underlying metaphysical foundation from one based on individuals to a one based on individuation. We discuss in detail how in the light of this new scheme concepts central to the paradox such as realism, causality and locality are adjusted to the effect that the paradox is resolved without giving up these concepts so fundamental to our thinking. We conclude with a brief note about the important role of metaphysics to the progress of knowledge and our understanding of reality.