On Witness-Discernibility of Elementary Particles

Author: Linnebo Øystein   Muller F.  

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

ISSN: 0165-0106

Source: Erkenntnis, Vol.78, Iss.5, 2013-10, pp. : 1133-1142

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Abstract

In the context of discussions about the nature of ‘identical particles’ and the status of Leibniz’s Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles in Quantum Mechanics, a novel kind of physical discernibility has recently been proposed, which we call witness-discernibility. We inquire into how witness-discernibility relates to known kinds of discernibility. Our conclusion will be that for a wide variety of cases, including the intended quantum-mechanical ones, witness-discernibility collapses extensionally to absolute discernibility, that is, to discernibility by properties.