The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Current Status and Relation to Other Interpretations.
Research workshop of the Israeli Science Foundation, Tel-Aviv University, October 2022

Guy Hetzroni
Consensus, theoretical virtues and interpretation: lessons from past debates

Prominent physicists have advocated the many worlds interpretation by describing the lack of consensus regarding the interpretation of quantum theory as problematic or embarrassing, and on the other hand highlighting the role of determinism, locality and unitarity. In my talk I will reflect on the question of whether such a consensus is indeed desirable at this point by comparing the interpretational debates on quantum theory with past interpretational debates, focusing on the role of theoretical virtues. Adopting a pragmatic point of view towards theory choice, I’ll argue that past debates show that the attempt to achieve consensus on metaphysical questions based on theoretical virtues is not scientifically fruitful. The first example to be examined is the debate about the ontology of space in classical mechanics, understood retrospectively in light of the discovery of the general theory of relativity. The second is about the ontology of classical electromagnetism understood in light of the discovery of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Both examples show, I argue, that interpretational debates can in some cases be seen as an indication of an open question within physics. A debate that seems purely interpretational within a given theory, becomes physically significant in the context of unification, and lack of agreement is beneficial in order to explore different theoretical possibilities. The measurement problem is accordingly best understood as a scientific problem that urges us to re-examine our theories and the interface between them, rather than as a merely interpretative issue or a problem in our understanding. The many worlds interpretation has a central role in this project.

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