Bohr, objectivity, and "our experience": \`A propos Mermin's note on the quantum measurement problem

TL;DR

This paper critiques Mermin's interpretation of Bohr's views on quantum measurement, emphasizing the importance of understanding the role of objectivity and experience in quantum mechanics.

Contribution

It clarifies misconceptions about Bohr's perspective on measurement and objectivity, highlighting nuances in the interpretation of quantum phenomena.

Findings

Mermin's reading of Bohr's passage is contested

The role of 'our experience' in quantum description is nuanced

Misunderstandings about probability and measurement are addressed

Abstract

In a recent note David Mermin attributed the idea that wave function collapse is a physical process to a misunderstanding of probability and the role it plays in quantum mechanics. There are, however, further misconceptions at play, some of which are shared by Mermin himself and more generally by QBists. The main objective of the present comment on his note is to explain why I disagree with his reading of a well-known passage by Niels Bohr, in particular the ambiguity of the first-person plural he perceives in Bohr's reference to "our description of nature" and "our experience."