In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory · HackerPapers discussions

In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory — mentioned by hackandthink

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:21:22 GMT

Robert W. Spekkens (and I guess Matt Leifer) tried to model quantum uncertainty classically. (my gut feeling was: it works till it does not work) "In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory" https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0401052

Paper and discussion history. A mention is not an endorsement.

In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory — mentioned by Kednicma

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:51:20 GMT

As a fellow non-expert, I use tables like [0] to help keep everything straight. Yes, the Copenhagen interpretation says that the wavefunctions we manipulate are epistemic; they exist in our mind and on the blackboard but not necessarily IRL. The epistemic toy theory [1] makes this concept very concrete, although note that that theory has hidden local variables and thus doesn't correctly implement Bell/KS/Free Will. Yes, MWI is quite ontic; it's probably the most ontic that a QM interpretation can be, since it insists that all possibilities exist. Just like modal realism, MWI is the most…

Paper and discussion history. A mention is not an endorsement.

In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory — mentioned by Kednicma

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 18:23:18 GMT

Recall that "ontic" and "epistemic" are how we distinguish real facts about reality from observer-dependent knowledge about reality. On your (1), the typical interpretations for QM say that the wavefunction is not ontic, and this is directly traceable to the Copenhagen school of thought. QM is best done when we consider that our knowledge of systems is always partial; it turns out that often, the system itself is also partial about knowledge of own state. I greatly enjoyed reading [0] recently for a coverage of a toy theory exploring this distinction in more detail. On your (2), quantum…

Paper and discussion history. A mention is not an endorsement.

In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory — HN submission

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 07:41:35 GMT

In defense of the epistemic view of quantum states: a toy theory

2 points; 0 discussion replies on HN. Paper and source history. A submission is not an endorsement.