Imprecise probabilities are often modelled with representors, or sets of probability functions. In the recent literature, two ways of interpreting representors have emerged as especially prominent: vagueness interpretations, according to which each probability function in the set represents how the agent's beliefs would be if any vagueness were precisified away; and comparativist interpretations, according to which the set represents those comparative confidence relations that are common to all probability functions therein. I argue that these interpretations have some important limitations. I (...) also propose an alternative—the functional interpretation—according to which representors are best interpreted by reference to the roles they play in the theories that make use of them. (shrink)

The program of reconstructing quantum theory based on information-theoretic principles enjoys much popularity in the foundations of physics. Surprisingly, this endeavor has only received very little attention in philosophy. Here I argue that this should change. This is because, on the one hand, reconstructions can help us to better understand quantum mechanics, and, on the other hand, reconstructions are themselves in need of interpretation. My overall objective, thus, is to motivate the reconstruction program and to show why philosophers should care. (...) My specific aims are threefold. (i) Clarify the relationship between reconstructing and interpreting quantum mechanics, (ii) show how the informational reconstruction of quantum theory puts pressure on standard realist interpretations, (iii) defend the quantum reconstruction program against possible objections. (shrink)

Cet essai cherche à faire de la complémentarité entre énergie-idée, structure et fonction, et autres couples de concepts, la base d'une nouvelle ontologie qui puisse résoudre les conflits entre les pôles de description « mental » et « physique », entre la vérité mathématique et la vérité empirique et entre la mécanique quantique et la théorie de la relativité comme formes rivales d'explication scientifique. L'auteur y plaide en faveur de la fermeture déductive de l'univers à la lumière de la relation (...) logique entre le nombre et l'alphabet . Il y présente la réalité et l'autonomie conceptuelle des idées comme une alternative au platonisme et à d'autres idéologies. Il dispose de fausses interprétations, malentendus, et objections au moyen du dialogue.Conjugacy between energy-idea, structure and function, and other concept pairs is made the basis for a new ontology which resolves the conflicts between "mental" and "physical" poles of description, between mathematical and empirical truth, and between quantum mechanics and relativity theory as rival forms of scientific explanation. The deductive closure of the universe is argued for, in light of the logical connection between number and the alphabet . The reality and the conceptual autonomy of ideas are presented as an alternative to Platonism and other ideologies. Mistaken interpretations, misunderstandings and objections are handled through the medium of dialogue. (shrink)

The problem of emergence in physical theories makes necessary to build a general theory of the relationships between the observed system and the observing system. It can be shown that there exists a correspondence between classical systems and computational dynamics according to the Shannon-Turing model. A classical system is an informational closed system with respect to the observer; this characterizes the emergent processes in classical physics as phenomenological emergence. In quantum systems, the analysis based on the computation theory fails. It (...) is here shown that a quantum system is an informational open system with respect to the observer and able to exhibit processes of observational, radical emergence. Finally, we take into consideration the role of computation in describing the physical world. (shrink)

An ideal constructor produces geometry from scratch, modelled through the bottom-up assembly of a graph-like lattice within a space that is defined, bootstrap-wise, by that lattice. Construction becomes the problem of assembling a homogeneous lattice in three-dimensional space; that becomes the problem of resolving geometrical frustration in quasicrystalline structure; achieved by reconceiving the lattice as a dynamical system. The resulting construction is presented as the introductory model sufficient to motivate the formal argument that it is a fundamental structure; based on (...) which, it is proposed that where mathematics’ numbers conventionally correspond to dimensionless points on the stateless number line, numbers more fundamentally correspond to an ordering of discrete objects constructed within the stateful number lattice. A second observation is that this fundamental lattice structure is helically configured with fractal character, which, as it relates to the geometry underlying spacetime, has relevance to questions in physics, particularly those involving wave-particle duality. (shrink)

As an alternative to our original dualistic approach, we present here our spin-mediated consciousness theory based on pan-protopsychism. We postulate that consciousness is intrinsically connected to quantum mechanical spin since said spin is embedded in the microscopic structure of spacetime and may be more fundamental than spacetime itself. Thus, we theorize that consciousness emerges quantum mechanically from the collective dynamics of "protopsychic" spins under the influence of spacetime dynamics. That is, spin is the "pixel" of mind. The unity of mind (...) is achieved by quantum entanglement of the mind-pixels. Applying these ideas to the particular structures and dynamics of the brain, we postulate that the human mind works as follows: The nuclear spin ensembles ("NSE") in both neural membranes and proteins quantum mechanically process consciousness-related information such that conscious experience emerges from the collapses of entangled quantum states of NSE under the influence of the underlying spacetime dynamics. Said information is communicated to NSE through strong spin-spin couplings by biologically available unpaired electronic spins such as those carried by rapidly diffusing oxygen molecules and neural transmitter nitric oxides that extract information from their diffusing pathways in the brain. In turn, the dynamics of NSE has effects through spin chemistry on the classical neural activities such as action potentials and receptor functions thus influencing the classical neural networks of said brain. We also present supporting evidence and make important predictions. We stress that our theory is experimentally verifiable with present technologies. (shrink)