Philosophy of Quantum Information and Entanglement

Description

Recent work in quantum information science has produced a revolution in our understanding of quantum entanglement. Scientists now view entanglement as a physical resource with many important applications. These range from quantum computers, which would be able to compute exponentially faster than classical computers, to quantum cryptographic techniques, which could provide unbreakable codes for the transfer of secret information over public channels. These important advances in the study of quantum entanglement and information touch on deep foundational issues in both physics and philosophy. This interdisciplinary volume brings together fourteen of the world's leading physicists and philosophers of physics to address the most important developments and debates in this exciting area of research. It offers a broad spectrum of approaches to resolving deep foundational challenges - philosophical, mathematical, and physical - raised by quantum information, quantum processing, and entanglement. This book is ideal for historians, philosophers of science and physicists.

Alisa Bokulich is a Professor in the Philosophy Department at Boston University, and an active member of Boston University's Center for Philosophy and History of Science. Her research focuses on the history and philosophy of physics, as well as broader issues in the philosophy of science. Gregg Jaeger is a Professor at Boston University, where he teaches courses in the Mathematics, Natural Science, and Philosophy departments. His recent research focuses on decoherence, entanglement, quantum computing, and quantum cryptography, and in 2008 he was awarded a Kavli fellowship.

'It is easy to stand by the hope expressed by Bokulich and Jaeger at the close of their introduction, 'that this volume will provide a useful starting point for those entering this new interdisciplinary field, and will encourage more philosophers and physicists to enter into the dialogue on the exciting philosophical implications of quantum information research.' Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews