# Position Measurements and the Empirical Status of Particles in Bohmian Mechanics

## TL;DR

This paper clarifies the empirical role of particles in Bohmian mechanics, analyzing how particle motions relate to measurement, uncertainty, and consciousness, and addressing misconceptions about their observability.

## Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of particle roles in Bohmian mechanics, clarifying misconceptions and emphasizing the empirical significance of particle motions over wave patterns.

## Key findings

- Particle positions are empirically accessible through analysis of particle motions.
- Measurement results in Bohmian mechanics follow from particle trajectories.
- The paper discusses why particle motions underpin conscious experience.

## Abstract

The paper addresses the debate about the empirical status of particles versus wave functions in Bohmian quantum mechanics. It thereby clarifies questions and misconceptions about the role of the particles in the measurement process, the (un)reliability of position measurements ("surrealistic trajectories"), and the limited empirical access to particle positions ("absolute uncertainty"). Taking the ontological commitment of Bohmian mechanics seriously, all relevant empirical results follow from an analysis of the theory in terms of particle motions. Finally, we address the question, why particle motions rather than patterns in the wave function would be the supervenience base of conscious experience.