Sudbery, Anthony (2017) The logic of the future in quantum theory. Synthese. 4429–4453. ISSN 0023-7857
Abstract
According to quantum mechanics, statements about the future made by sentient beings like us are, in general, neither true nor false; they must satisfy a many-valued logic. I propose that the truth value of such a statement should be identified with the probability that the event it describes will occur. After reviewing the history of related ideas in logic, I argue that it gives an understanding of probability which is particularly satisfactory for use in quantum mechanics. I construct a lattice of future-tense propositions, with truth values in the interval $[0,1]$, and derive logical properties of these truth values given by the usual quantum-mechanical formula for the probability of a history.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Mathematics (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 29 Mar 2017 12:20 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 13:40 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-016-1142-9 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s11229-016-1142-9 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:114152 |