Linguistique de l’écrit

Revue internationale en libre accès

Revue | Volume | Article

235151

Re-thinking local causality

Simon Friederich

pp. 221-240

Résumé

There is widespread belief in a tension between quantum theory and special relativity, motivated by the idea that quantum theory violates J. S. Bell’s criterion of local causality, which is meant to implement the causal structure of relativistic space-time. This paper argues that if one takes the essential intuitive idea behind local causality to be that probabilities in a locally causal theory depend only on what occurs in the backward light cone and if one regards objective probability as what imposes constraints on rational credence along the lines of David Lewis’ Principal Principle, then one arrives at the view that whether or not Bell’s criterion holds is irrelevant for whether or not local causality holds. The assumptions on which this argument rests are highlighted, and those that may seem controversial are motivated.

Détails de la publication

Publié dans:

(2015) Synthese 192 (1).

Pages: 221-240

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-014-0563-6

Citation complète:

Friederich Simon, 2015, Re-thinking local causality. Synthese 192 (1), 221-240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-014-0563-6.