Abstract
It is common ground among proponents and detractors of wavefunction realism that the view ‘privileges position’, in the sense that it arbitrarily singles out one among a continuum infinity of wavefunction representations as characterizing the fundamental field: the position representation. This paper shows that, properly understood, wavefunction realism does not involve such an arbitrary choice. First, I argue that, though each wavefunction representation gives rise to a different version of wavefunction realism, the difference between these theories amounts to a mere haecceitistic difference. Second, I argue that wavefunction realists should reconceive of their view as a role-based thesis that is silent about the relevant haecceitistic differences.
Highlights
It is common ground among proponents and detractors of wavefunction realism that the view ‘privileges position’, in the following sense
The goal of this paper is to argue against received wisdom: properly understood, wavefunction realism does not involve an arbitrary choice of the kind that motivates the asymmetry objection
The upshot of all this is that the difference between C-wavefunction realism and W-wavefunction realism is merely haecceitistic: the two theories disagree merely as regards whether it is C or W that plays the role of containing the fundamental field
Summary
Fourier duality suggests that there are two versions of wavefunction realism that are extremely similar to each other. The only distinctive physical role of this space is that it is inhabited by the wavefunction whose value at some wavevector at some instant of time t is the weight of the plane wave with that wavevector in the Fourier decomposition of the t-distribution of the fundamental field. Wavefunction realism suggested by Fourier duality is a view I will call W-wavefunction realism It asserts, of a space W distinct from C, that it contains the fundamental field. The scope of F[L] is not limited to the Fourier-dual of wc: at wc, F [L] provides an alternative characterization of the dynamical evolution of the fundamental field by way of determining the dynamical evolution of the wavevector wavefunctions In this sense, Fourier-dual worlds are models of the same dynamical laws. This point turns out to be moot: as I will argue, C- and W-wavefunction realism differ merely haecceitistically
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