[deleted]
Dear Professor Vongehr,
I read your essay but must admit it was not an easy read.
The overall picture I get about your description of tautological modal realism is that we would expect the most fundamental theory of nature to describe it in its totality, and that this implies articulating all possible alternatives into which the parts of nature can evolve to in the next instant, and furthermore, that these alternatives are treated equivalently with respect to such a theory, and finally, that because there is nothing else to compare the totality to, it can only be compared to itself, and hence its description becomes tautological.
Your argument then would be that since QM already contains some of these features it may be close to, or perhaps even already be, our most fundamental description of nature. So for someone who has adopted the tautological modal realism perspective, Quantum mechanics should appear natural, if not even tautological, and the assumption that QM is "strange" is wrong.
Although I find your argument quite ingenious, I seriously doubt that many people will be convinced by it to regard QM as "natural" (unless, by virtue of becoming so familiar with the theory, it no longer triggers their sense of wonder).
The reason why I doubt this is simple: Surely someone before QM was developed should have developed intuitions in line with tautological modal realism, and been filled with puzzlement that measurements on objects up until then yielded definite results (within the accuracy and precision then available), and they would have been disturbed about the absence of observable superposition. I would be amazed if such a person existed. Moreover, from what little I understand about tautological modal realism (if I even understood it at all) I don't see why it should not lead us to expect to observe macroscopic superposition phenomena (not necessarily due to quantum mechanics)? Should it not lead us to expect to observe superpositions of gravity fields at energy scales which are accessible to us, for example? If we adopt this worldview, then, it seems to me, it would be inconsistent that we emphasize how well it fits one set of our observations but not emphasize how poorly it fits another.
I'd like to emphasize that I am not suggesting in any manner that QM is wrong or not a fundamental description of nature. My point is, rather, that adopting this type of worldview post hoc seems to me akin to a form of rationalization.
I accept that quantum mechanics is correct and fundamental, but that does not stop me from trying to understand what the origin of its puzzling features is. Some of my professors have told me that "why" questions are not the kind with which physicists are really concerned, but I strongly disagree. We have to keep asking "why" if we want to maintain any hope of gaining deeper insights into nature. Adopting a worldview which keeps me from asking "why" seems counterproductive. Indeed, it was because I kept asking why that I believe I made any progress in my own attempts at trying to 'understand' quantum mechanics.
The previous commenters have painted a picture of someone who does not take criticism well, but, not having had any prior interactions with you, I like to believe that when faced with an attempt at respectful, thoughtful and constructive criticism, you will receive it in the spirit in which it was given, namely that we can benefit and learn from an exchange of each other's perspectives, even if they sometimes disagree.
All the best,
Armin