On Causal Loops in the Quantum Realm

Berkovitz, Joseph

doi:10.1007/978-94-010-0385-8_16

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…7 These backward influences are a radical deviation from the mainstream metaphysics of science and they pose challenges for the predictive and explanatory power of RCIQM (Berkovitz 2001(Berkovitz , 2002a(Berkovitz , 2008(Berkovitz , 2011. So why bother with such interpretations of QM?…”

Section: The Main Idea Of Retro-causal Interpretations Of Quantum Mecmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…18, Horwich 1987, Chap. 7, 1995, Smith 1997, Berkovitz 2001, 2002a, 2011, Dowe 2003). Once we take account of these constraints, we find that causal loops are neither impossible nor necessarily improbable, though they may appear paradoxical, counterintuitive, or inexplicable (see Sections 6, 8 and 10 for some of the curious characteristics of causal loops).…”

Section: Arguments For the Impossibility Of Backward Causation And Camentioning

confidence: 99%

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On Time, Causation and Explanation in the Causally Symmetric Bohmian Model of Quantum Mechanics

Berkovitz

2017

Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science

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Section: The Main Idea Of Retro-causal Interpretations Of Quantum Mecmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Arguments For the Impossibility Of Backward Causation And Camentioning

confidence: 99%

On Time, Causation and Explanation in the Causally Symmetric Bohmian Model of Quantum Mechanics

Berkovitz

2017

Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science

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“…This possibility is a recognised source of potential causal loops, in retrocausal models of EPR/Bell situations; see, e.g., (Berkovitz 2002). Let's represent this possibility by adding to our diagrams the kind of causal link represented by the red arrow in Fig.…”

Section: Causal Loopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toy models for retrocausality

Price

2008

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in

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A number of writers have been attracted to the idea that some of the puzzling features of quantum mechanics might be manifestations of 'reverse' or 'retro' causality, at a level underlying that of the usual quantum description. The main motivation for this view stems from EPR/Bell phenomena, where it offers two virtues. First, as was noted by its earliest proponent, 1 it has the potential to provide a timelike decomposition of the nonlocal correlations revealed in EPR cases -i.e., as we would now put it, 2 for the violation of the Bell inequalities in the quantum world. Second, Bell's derivation of his famous inequality depends explicitly on the assumption that hidden states do not depend on future measurement settings -so that its violation simply invites a retrocausal explanation, at least from the point of view of anyone who has already been bitten by the retrocausal bug. Most people working in the foundations of quantum mechanics remain resolutely unbitten, however. It is common for the retrocausal option to be ignored altogether, or, as in this rather careful recent survey article, relegated to the footnotes with other unmemorabilia:To be scrupulous, there are perhaps four other ways [i.e., other than nonlocality] that the correlations in [an EPR-Bohm] experiment could be explained away. (1) One could simply 'refuse to consider the correlations mysterious'. (2) One could deny that the experimenters have free will to choose the settings of their measurement devices at random, as required for a statistically * This note is based on a talk given at workshops at

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“…I will start with the former. Berkovitz (2002) points out that given common views about probabilistic causality, the TI applied to Maudlin's example involves a causal loop, since the con…rmation wave returning backwards in time from B is necessary (and su¢ cient) for the particle to be emitted towards B. Berkovitz then notes that in causal loops the relative frequencies of events can di¤er signi…cantly from their objective chances. So in this case, the fact that the particle always takes the upper path when B swings round is not inconsistent with the upper path having an objective chance of 1/2.…”

Section: Extant Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the extant responses to Maudlin's challenge, Berkovitz (2002), Kastner (2006) and Marchildon (2006) attempt to accommodate Maudlin's example within the existing TI, and Cramer (2005), Chiatti (2012) and Kastner (2012bKastner ( , 2013 work with modi…ed versions of the TI. I will start with the former.…”

Section: Extant Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retrocausal quantum mechanics: Maudlin's challenge revisited

Lewis

2013

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in

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In 1994, Maudlin proposed an objection to retrocausal approaches to quantum mechanics in general, and to the transactional interpretation (TI) in particular, involving an absorber that changes location depending on the trajectory of the particle. Maudlin considered this objection fatal. However, the TI did not die; rather, a number of responses were developed, some attempting to accommodate Maudlin's example within the existing TI, and others modifying the TI. I argue that none of these responses is fully adequate. The reason, I submit, is that there are two aspects to Maudlin's objection; the more readily soluble aspect has received all the attention, but the more problematic aspect has gone unnoticed. I consider the prospects for developing a successful retrocausal quantum theory in light of this second aspect of the objection.

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On Causal Loops in the Quantum Realm

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

On Time, Causation and Explanation in the Causally Symmetric Bohmian Model of Quantum Mechanics

On Time, Causation and Explanation in the Causally Symmetric Bohmian Model of Quantum Mechanics

Toy models for retrocausality

Retrocausal quantum mechanics: Maudlin's challenge revisited

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