Philosopher George Webster: Reality as Relations, Not Objects

Philosopher George Webster proposes that quantum mechanics challenges the common understanding of reality, suggesting that fundamental existence lies in relations rather than individual objects. Webster argues that concepts like symmetry hold more reality than particles themselves within the quantum realm.

He notes that both everyday language and traditional philosophical logic struggle to interpret this perspective. Webster proposes that the philosophical framework of Gilles Deleuze could offer a means to comprehend this quantum view of reality.

Challenging the Intuitive Object-Centric View

The prevailing view considers the world as a collection of distinct objects such as tables, trees, and particles. This perspective is considered intuitive and has been evolutionarily beneficial for human survival by enabling the tracking of objects.

However, this human-centric viewpoint is limited to specific scales and may not accurately represent the universe at quantum and cosmological levels. Scientific findings, particularly in quantum theory, suggest an alternative account where relations, not objects, are the ultimate constituents of reality.

Symmetries: More Fundamental Than Particles?

Webster highlights that the laws and symmetries governing particle behavior, such as permutation invariance, are more fundamentally real than the particles themselves. This idea contrasts with the common notion that relations presuppose and depend on existing objects.

Quantum Statistics: Evidence for a Relational Universe

Quantum theory, specifically quantum statistics, provides a basis for this relations-based worldview.

The Classical Coin Experiment

For example, two simultaneously flipped coins produce four possible outcomes, each with equal frequency (HH, HT, TH, TT). A mixed result (heads/tails) is counted twice because the coins are distinct objects, meaning swapping them constitutes a different physical state.

Indistinguishable Particles: The Boson Example

In contrast, two elementary particles (bosons) fired through a similar experimental setup designed to measure analogous properties will produce only three outcomes, each with equal frequency. These outcomes would be analogous to HH, "mixed", and TT.

The mixed result for bosons is counted only once because elementary particles of the same type are indistinguishable, suggesting that their relations are primary to their individual identity.