• Title of article

    Can Classical Structures Explain Quantum Phenomena?

  • Author/Authors

    Alisa Bokulich، نويسنده ,

  • Issue Information
    روزنامه با شماره پیاپی سال 2008
  • Pages
    19
  • From page
    217
  • To page
    235
  • Abstract
    In semiclassicalmechanics one finds explanations of quantum phenomena that appeal to classical structures.These explanations are prima facie problematic insofar as the classical structures they appeal to do not exist. Here I defend the view that fictional structures can be genuinely explanatory by introducing a model-based account of scientific explanation. Applying this framework to the semiclassical phenomenon of wavefunction scarring, I argue that not only can the fictional classical trajectories explain certain aspects of this quantum phenomenon, but also that an explanation that does not make reference to these classical structures is, in a certain sense, deficient.
  • Journal title
    The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
  • Serial Year
    2008
  • Journal title
    The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
  • Record number

    708470