Bohmian Mechanics and the Quantum Revolution

TL;DR

This paper reviews and contrasts the perspectives of Bell and Bohm on quantum theory, focusing on nonlocality, hidden variables, and the nature of quantum reality, highlighting their differences from orthodox interpretations.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of Bohmian mechanics and Bell's views, emphasizing their ontological interpretations and implications for understanding quantum phenomena.

Findings

Bohmian mechanics offers a deterministic hidden-variable perspective.

Bell's work highlights nonlocality as fundamental to quantum theory.

The review contrasts these views with orthodox quantum interpretations.

Abstract

This is a review-essay on ``Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics'' by John Bell and ``The Undivided Universe: An Ontological Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics'' by David Bohm and Basil Hiley. The views of these authors concerning the character of quantum theory and quantum reality---and, in particular, their approaches to the issues of nonlocality, the possibility of hidden variables, and the nature of and desiderata for a satisfactory scientific explanation of quantum phenomena---are contrasted, with each other and with the orthodox approach to these issues.