Philosophy of Physics Seminar (Thursday - Week 8, TT23)
Thursday 15 June, 4:30pm
Lecture Room, Radcliffe Humanities
Natasha Oughton (Oxford): 'Why quantum theory? Understanding and explanation through reconstruction'
It is sometimes claimed that information-theoretic reconstructions of quantum theory provide interpretational insight. I’ll argue that such claims misrepresent the contribution of reconstructions: we should not expect to gain knowledge of the inner workings of quantum theory by locating its boundaries in the context of more general theories, nor to learn what quantum theory is about, since the features and principles privileged through reconstruction are, at least to some extent, dependent on what one chooses to focus on. Despite this though, I maintain that information-theoretic reconstructions genuinely can play an epistemic role. By adopting a pragmatic, pluralist account of explanation inspired by Van Fraassen and proposing an extension to an account of understanding, I'll argue that reconstructions can be seen to provide both explanation and understanding through providing answers, distinct from those about interpretation, to the question “why quantum theory” in the salient contexts.
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