PIRSA:08120017

The EPR Illusion: States, Counterfactuals and Elements of Reality

Stairs, A. (2008). The EPR Illusion: States, Counterfactuals and Elements of Reality. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/08120017

Stairs, Allen. The EPR Illusion: States, Counterfactuals and Elements of Reality. Perimeter Institute, Dec. 02, 2008, https://pirsa.org/08120017 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:08120017,
            doi = {10.48660/08120017},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/08120017},
            author = {Stairs, Allen},
            keywords = {Quantum Foundations},
            language = {en},
            title = {The EPR Illusion: States, Counterfactuals and Elements of Reality},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2008},
            month = {dec},
            note = {PIRSA:08120017 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Allen Stairs University of Maryland, College Park

DOI 10.48660/08120017
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

We all know that the EPR argument fails, and we can all provide proofs of one sort or another that it can\'t work. But in spite of this, there\'s something curiously tempting about the reasoning, and the temptation sometimes leads to needless perplexity about other issues. This paper will do two things. It will offer a diagnosis of where the EPR argument goes wrong that shows why we should be suspicious long before we get to Bell-type results, and then use the thought behind this diagnosis to suggest an orientation toward thinking about quantum states. The proposal for understanding states will have some things in common with Bayesian approaches, but will part company with them on some crucial points.