John Bell and the great enterprise

TL;DR

This paper explores Bell's vision of science's 'great enterprise', critiques conventional quantum mechanics, and reviews the development and application of Bell's transition probabilities as fundamental processes.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of Bell's philosophical perspective and examines the impact of his proposal on the foundations of quantum theory.

Findings

Bell's transition probabilities have been influential in alternative quantum models.

Bell's critique highlights issues in conventional quantum mechanics.

The paper discusses the ongoing relevance of Bell's ideas in quantum foundations.

Abstract

I outline Bell's vision of the "great enterprise" of science, and his view that conventional teachings about quantum mechanics constituted a betrayal of this enterprise. I describe a proposal of his to put the theory on a more satisfactory footing, and review the subsequent uses that have been made of one element of this proposal, namely Bell's transition probabilities regarded as fundamental physical processes.