A Critical Analysis of the Quantum Nonlocality Problem: On the Polemic Assessment of What Bell Did

Abstract

We review John Stewart Bell's works from a historical perspective and analyze his arguments regarding nonlocality as he developed them from 1964 until his sudden and unexpected death in 1990. Although the alleged nonlocal character of quantum mechanics is inextricably related to the formulation of the Bell theorem, that relation is usually inappropriately posed and disagrees with Bell's own formulation. The departure from the clear line of reasoning that Bell tried to convey has contributed to a polarization of part of the scientific community into radical irreconcilable positions. We show how the correct appreciation of Bell's rationale calls for reformulating a widespread argument on quantum nonlocality yielding a more balanced perspective of the problem. We highlight a more formal proof of quantum mechanics' violation of local causality. Finally, we mention a few alternatives that may justify considering quantum mechanics as a local theory.