Central and East European
Society for Phenomenology

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Re-thinking local causality

Simon Friederich

pp. 221-240

Abstract

There is widespread belief in a tension between quantum theory and special relativity, motivated by the idea that quantum theory violates J. S. Bell’s criterion of local causality, which is meant to implement the causal structure of relativistic space-time. This paper argues that if one takes the essential intuitive idea behind local causality to be that probabilities in a locally causal theory depend only on what occurs in the backward light cone and if one regards objective probability as what imposes constraints on rational credence along the lines of David Lewis’ Principal Principle, then one arrives at the view that whether or not Bell’s criterion holds is irrelevant for whether or not local causality holds. The assumptions on which this argument rests are highlighted, and those that may seem controversial are motivated.

Publication details

Published in:

(2015) Synthese 192 (1).

Pages: 221-240

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-014-0563-6

Full citation:

Friederich Simon (2015) „Re-thinking local causality“. Synthese 192 (1), 221–240.