Preparing a (quantum) belief system

TL;DR

This paper explores how quantum indeterminacy can influence persuasion by modeling beliefs as quantum-like states, showing that any belief state can be manipulated through measurement sequences, with implications for economic and psychological persuasion strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum-like framework for modeling belief manipulation and proves that any belief state can be achieved through appropriate measurement sequences, highlighting new possibilities for persuasion.

Findings

Any belief state can be obtained via suitable measurement sequences

Quantum indeterminacy offers a novel perspective on belief manipulation

Theoretical results have practical implications for persuasion strategies

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the potential for persuasion linked to the quantum indeterminacy of beliefs. We first formulate the persuasion problem in the context of quantum-like beliefs. We provide an economic example of belief manipulation that illustrates the setting. We next establish a theoretical result showing that in the absence of constraints on measurements, any state can be obtained as the result of a suitable sequence of measurements. We finally discuss the practical significance of our result in the context of persuasion. Keywords: belief, quantum-like, persuasion, measurement