Ontology and the Wave Function Collapse

Abstract

This paper makes a case for ontology, the study of existence, to be explicitly and formally incorporated into foundational physics in general and the wave function collapse of quantum mechanics in particular. It introduces a purely ontological distinction between two modes of physical existence-actualizable and actual- into the conventional mathematical representation of the wave function collapse, and examines the implications of doing so, arguing that this may lead to insights that permit one to understand seemingly mysterious aspects of the wave function collapse, such as ’Schro ̈dinger’s cat paradox’, as well as how quantum theory in general and Einstein’s general theory of relativity relate to one another. A specific empirical prediction is given, which if confirmed, may move ontology outside the exclusive purview of philosophy.