Mind, Matter, and Freedom in Quantum Mechanics and the de Broglie-Bohm Theory

TL;DR

The paper argues that adopting the de Broglie–Bohm theory resolves key philosophical tensions associated with standard quantum mechanics, including determinism, free will, consciousness, realism, and reductionism. It shows that orthodox QM’s dual evolution and collapse postulate do not uniquely dictate the nature of reality, but that Bohmian mechanics offers a deterministic, nonlocal ontology with particles guided by a universal wave function and quantum equilibrium ensuring identical empirical predictions. By providing a clear spatiotemporal ontology, Bohmian mechanics preserves realism and reductionism while reframing nonlocality as a natural feature of the theory. Although it does not solve the hard problem of consciousness, it delivers a scientifically robust account of the physical world that aligns with empirical data and does not require appeals to observers or conscious processes to complete quantum description.

Abstract

There are several important philosophical problems to which quantum mechanics is often said to have made significant contributions: - Determinism: quantum theory has been taken to refute determinism; -Free Will: in turn, this is thought to open the door to free will; - The mind-body problem: relatedly, it is sometimes said to shed light on consciousness; - Idealism: more radically, quantum theory is assumed to have refuted realism and to have placed the observer at the center of the world; - Reductionism: even granting realism, it has been claimed that quantum theory undermines reductionism. Our main thesis in this paper is that none of this is either necessary or desirable. By adopting the de Broglie--Bohm theory (or Bohmian mechanics), one can straightforwardly account for quantum phenomena without endorsing any of these claims.