The logic of the future in quantum theory

Synthese 194 (11):4429-4453 (2017)
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Abstract

According to quantum mechanics, statements about the future made by sentient beings like us are, in general, neither true nor false; they must satisfy a many-valued logic. I propose that the truth value of such a statement should be identified with the probability that the event it describes will occur. After reviewing the history of related ideas in logic, I argue that it gives an understanding of probability which is particularly satisfactory for use in quantum mechanics. I construct a lattice of future-tense propositions, with truth values in the interval [0, 1], and derive logical properties of these truth values given by the usual quantum-mechanical formula for the probability of a history.

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References found in this work

The theory of probability.Hans Reichenbach - 1949 - Berkeley,: University of California Press.
The view from nowhere.Thomas Nagel - 1986 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 178 (2):221-222.
Many-valued logic.Nicholas Rescher - 1969 - New York,: McGraw-Hill.
Formal Logic.Arthur N. Prior & Norman Prior - 1955 - Oxford,: Oxford University Press.

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