On Sun, 19 Dec 2021 at 10:01, Bruce Kellett <[email protected]> wrote:
> Sabine Hossenfelder is going on about superdeterminism yet again. Her > aim, clearly, is to show that physics is entirely local, and that the > non-locality usually associated with violations of the Bell inequalities > does not exist -- so that all physics is entirely local and completely > determined. > > > http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2021/12/does-superdeterminism-save-quantum.html > > While I would agree with Sabine that the question of non-locality has > nothing to do with 'free will', whatever that might be, I do not agree > with her general conclusions. The trouble is that the formalism of > quantum mechanics requires a non-separable function for the description > of the entangled state. A simple argument would go along the lines that > if statistical independence is always correct, then all wave functions > must be separable. Since they are not, statistical independence must be > violated, or else the formalism of quantum mechanics is completely wrong. > > I do not think that Hossenfelder and her associates have ever developed > an alternative quantum formalism that incorporates their ideas about > hidden variables. Until we have some such formalism that we can examine > and compare with experiment, Sabine is just blowing smoke here. > > She dodges the real issues by discussing superdeterminism in terms of a > simple case, such as the double slit experiment. But the real issues > with statistical independence -- the ability of experimenters to freely > and independently choose what spin state to measure -- arise in full > force only for entangled systems. In order to get a local explanation of > violations of Bell inequalities, one must claim that which measurement > is made is predetermined, outside the local control of the individual > experimenter. Vague statements that the result obtained depends on the > measurement made are either trivial or else meaningless without a > developed quantum formalism that incorporates the requires hidden > variables. The quotes of presumably otherwise rational people saying that determinism precludes free will and therefore science are quite shocking. > -- Stathis Papaioannou -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/CAH%3D2ypUeOjM8NtQhDHpe5XMqncfKTE3M-LR2moKm-Qf%2B4D%2BBcQ%40mail.gmail.com.
