[ExI] Quantum Bayesianism (QBism)

[Jason Resch]

On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 5:35 AM BillK via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> QBism seems to be becoming popular, with more articles appearing.
>
> <
> https://theconversation.com/qbism-quantum-mechanics-is-not-a-description-of-objective-reality-it-reveals-a-world-of-genuine-free-will-200487
> >
> Quote:
> ‘QBism’: quantum mechanics is not a description of objective reality –
> it reveals a world of genuine free will   By: Ruediger Schack
> Published: March 29, 2023
>
> <
> https://medium.com/physics-philosophy-more/qbism-a-technical-discourse-34109e2b3c16
> >
> Quote:
> QBism — A technical discourse
> Sanjay Basu, PhD     May 25, 2023
> Unraveling QBism: A Deep Dive into Quantum Bayesianism
>
>
> I asked AI to summarize and explain QBism:
>
> QBism, also known as Quantum Bayesianism, is a philosophical
> interpretation of quantum mechanics that combines elements of
> subjective probability and Bayesian reasoning. It was developed by
> physicist Christopher Fuchs and his colleagues in the early 2000s as a
> response to the long-standing interpretational issues and paradoxes in
> quantum theory.
>
> At its core, QBism asserts that quantum mechanics is fundamentally
> about an agent's personal beliefs or degrees of belief rather than
> objective reality. It emphasizes the role of the observer and their
> subjective experiences in understanding quantum phenomena. According
> to QBism, the wave function, which describes the state of a quantum
> system, represents an agent's personal probabilities or expectations
> for different measurement outcomes.
>
> In QBism, probabilities are understood as subjective degrees of belief
> rather than objective frequencies or propensities. These probabilities
> are updated using Bayesian inference, a mathematical framework for
> updating beliefs based on new evidence. The agent's beliefs are
> represented by a probability distribution over possible measurement
> outcomes, and this distribution is updated using Bayes' theorem after
> each measurement.
>
> One key aspect of QBism is its rejection of the idea that quantum
> systems have definite properties before they are measured. Instead, it
> argues that these properties only exist in relation to an observer's
> measurements and their subjective beliefs. This view is often referred
> to as "participatory realism," as it suggests that reality is created
> through the interaction between the observer and the observed system.
>
> Another important concept in QBism is the notion of "quantum states as
> personalist Bayesian agents." According to this idea, quantum systems
> can be thought of as agents that update their own beliefs based on
> their interactions with other systems. This perspective allows for a
> more intuitive understanding of entanglement and non-locality in
> quantum mechanics.
>
> QBism also addresses the long-standing debate between wave-particle
> duality and the collapse of the wave function. It suggests that these
> concepts are not fundamental but rather emerge from an agent's
> interactions with quantum systems. The wave function is seen as a tool
> for making predictions about measurement outcomes, rather than a
> physical entity.
>


One thing I would like QBists to explain, is if there is no outer reality,
only my "degrees of belief", then how is it that my "degrees of belief" are
able to factor a 1000 digit semiprime, as happens in a quantum computer?
Something external to me must be doing this, no?

Jason



>
> Overall, QBism offers a new perspective on the interpretation of
> quantum mechanics that places the observer and their subjective
> beliefs at the center of the theory. It provides a framework for
> understanding quantum phenomena in terms of personal probabilities and
> Bayesian reasoning, challenging traditional notions of objective
> reality.
> -----------------
>
>
> So, Many Worlds Interpretation is not required with QBism.
>
> BillK
>
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