Decoherence in the Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics: Scope and Limitations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35588/cc.v7d8360Keywords:
decoherence, measurement problem, contextuality, preferred basis, philosophy of quantum mechanicsAbstract
Decoherence has acquired a central role in the foundations of quantum mechanics and in various debates in philosophy of physics by providing an explanation for the suppression of interference and the emergence of quasiclassical behavior in open systems. However, it is sometimes attributed a broader philosophical scope than is effectively warranted by the formalism, particularly with regard to the measurement problem and the classical limit. This paper critically examines such scope through a simplified reconstruction of the standard formalism of environment-induced decoherence. It is argued that the decohered state corresponds to an improper mixture and, therefore, does not constitute an effective replacement for collapse nor solve the measurement problem. In addition, an operational interpretation in terms of “as if” and the preferred basis problem are analyzed, revealing conceptual tensions associated with the identification of robust states. The paper concludes with a call for prudence regarding the philosophical use of decoherence in foundational discussions.
Downloads
References
Adler, S. (2003). Quantum theory as an emergent phenomenon. Cambridge University Press.
Bacciagaluppi, G. (2025). The role of decoherence in quantum mechanics. En E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2025 Edition). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2025/entries/qm-decoherence/
Ballentine, L. (1998). Quantum mechanics: A modern development. World Scientific.
Birkhoff, G., & von Neumann, J. (1936). The logic of quantum mechanics. Annals of Mathematics, 37, 823–843.
Bohm, D. (1952). A suggested interpretation of quantum theory in terms of “hidden variables”. Physical Review, 85, 166–179.
Bohm, D., & Bub, J. (1966). A proposed solution of the measurement problem in quantum mechanics by a hidden variable theory. Reviews of Modern Physics, 38, 453–469.
Bub, J. (1997). Interpreting the quantum world. Cambridge University Press.
d’Espagnat, B. (1966). An elementary note about mixtures. En A. De-Shalit, H. Feshbach, & L. van Hove (Eds.), Preludes in theoretical physics. North-Holland.
d’Espagnat, B. (1976). Conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics. Benjamin.
Everett, H. (1957). Relative state formulation of quantum mechanics. Reviews of Modern Physics, 29, 454–462.
Everett, H. (1973). The theory of the universal wave function. En B. S. DeWitt & N. Graham (Eds.), The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics (pp. 3–140). Princeton University Press.
Fortin, S. (2027). The problem of molecular structure. Cambridge University Press.
Fortin, S., & Lombardi, O. (2014). Partial traces in decoherence and in interpretation: What do reduced states refer to? Foundations of Physics, 44, 426–446.
Fortin, S., Holik, F., & Vanni, L. (2016). Non-unitary evolution of quantum logics. En F. Bagarello, R. Passante, & C. Trapani (Eds.), Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians in quantum physics (Vol. 184). Springer.
Fortin, S., & Vanni, L. (2014). Quantum decoherence: A logical perspective. Foundations of Physics, 44, 1258–1268.
Fortin, S., & Vanni, L. (2015). Una perspectiva diacrónica en la estructura de la lógica cuántica. En J. Ahumada & S. Seno Chibeni (Eds.), Filosofía e historia de la ciencia en el Cono Sur (Vol. IX, pp. 31–39). Associação de Filosofia e História da Ciência do Cone Sul.
Ghirardi, G. C., Rimini, A., & Weber, T. (1986). Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic systems. Physical Review D, 34, 470–491.
Healey, R. A. (1995). Dissipating the quantum measurement problem. Topoi, 14, 55–65.
Hu, B., Paz, J., & Zhang, Y. (1992). Quantum Brownian motion in a general environment: Exact master equation with nonlocal dissipation and colored noise. Physical Review D, 45, 2843.
Joos, E., & Zeh, H. (1985). The emergence of classical properties through interaction with the environment. Zeitschrift für Physik B Condensed Matter, 59, 223–243.
Kastner, R. (2016). The illusory appeal of decoherence in the Everettian picture: Affirming the consequent. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.04845
Kochen, S., & Specker, E. (1967). The problem of hidden variables in quantum mechanics. Journal of Mathematics and Mechanics, 17, 59–87.
Lombardi, O., & Dieks, D. (2025). Modal interpretations of quantum mechanics. En E. N. Zalta & U. Nodelman (Eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2025 Edition). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2025/entries/qm-modal/
Losada, M., Fortin, S., & Holik, F. (2018). Classical limit and quantum logic. International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 57, 465–475.
Mittelstaedt, P. (1978). Quantum logic. D. Reidel Publishing Company.
Schlosshauer, M. (2007). Decoherence and the quantum-to-classical transition. Springer.
Zurek, W. H. (1981). Pointer basis of quantum apparatus: Into what mixture does the wave packet collapse? Physical Review D, 24, 1516–1525.
Zurek, W. H. (1982). Environment-induced superselection rules. Physical Review D, 26, 1862–1880.
Zurek, W. H. (1993). Preferred states, predictability, classicality and the environment-induced decoherence. Progress of Theoretical Physics, 89, 281–312.
Zurek, W. H. (2003). Decoherence, einselection, and the quantum origins of the classical. Reviews of Modern Physics, 75, 715–775.
Downloads
Submitted
2026-10-31Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sebastian Fortin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
