Paradoxes and Primitive Ontology in Collapse Theories of Quantum Mechanics

Abstract

Collapse theories are versions of quantum mechanics according to which the collapse of the wave function is a real physical process. They propose precise mathematical laws to govern this process and to replace the vague conventional prescription that a collapse occurs whenever an "observer" makes a "measurement." The "primitive ontology" of a theory (more or less what Bell called the "local beables") are the variables in the theory that represent matter in space-time. There is no consensus about whether collapse theories need to introduce a primitive ontology as part of their definition. I make some remarks on this question and point out that certain paradoxes about collapse theories are absent if a primitive ontology is introduced.