Operational Theories as Structural Realism

TL;DR

This paper interprets operational theories in quantum foundations as a form of structural realism, proposing that they explore the modal structure of possible worlds, with implications for philosophy and future research.

Contribution

It offers a novel interpretation of operational theories as structural realism, linking quantum foundations to modal logic and exploring philosophical implications.

Findings

Operational theories are analogous to possible worlds in modal logic.

Operational axiomatisations can be viewed as structural realism.

Implications for philosophy of science and future research directions.

Abstract

We undertake a reconstruction of the epistemic significance of research on operational theories in quantum foundations. We suggest that the space of operational theories is analogous to the space of possible worlds employed in the possible world semantics for modal logic, so research of this sort can be understood as probing modal structure. Thus we argue that operational axiomatisations of quantum mechanics may be interpreted as a novel form of structural realism; we discuss the consequences of this interpretation for the philosophy of structural realism and the future of operational theories.