Enregistré dans:
| Auteur principal: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2025
|
| Sujets: | |
| Accès en ligne: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.00023 |
| Tags: |
Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
|
| _version_ | 1866915366117048320 |
|---|---|
| author | Majid, Kamran |
| author_facet | Majid, Kamran |
| contents | This paper argues that the practice of fault-tolerant quantum computation, specifically the mechanism of Quantum Error Correction (QEC), offers a profoundly new lens through which to examine foundational questions of ontology, emergence, and interpretation. We move beyond the standard debate on quantum speedup to ask: What is the nature of the entity--the logical qubit--that is being protected, and what does the active, goal-directed process of its protection reveal about physical reality? We argue that the logical qubit presents a unique case study in the metaphysics of identity, functioning as a quantifiable "Ship of Theseus" in Hilbert space. We introduce the concept of "engineered emergence" to describe the active, information-driven stabilization of the logical qubit, distinguishing it from passive forms of emergence and positioning it as a new category of causal structure. Finally, we demonstrate that the logical qubit serves as a powerful new testbed for major interpretations of quantum mechanics (including agent-centered, Many-Worlds, and Bohmian views), revealing novel strengths and challenges for each. We conclude that the technological imperative of fault-tolerance is not merely an engineering problem but a catalyst for deep philosophical insight, transforming abstract debates into concrete physical questions. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_00023 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Metaphysics of Protection: Emergence, Agency, and the Ontological Status of Logical Qubits Majid, Kamran History and Philosophy of Physics Quantum Physics This paper argues that the practice of fault-tolerant quantum computation, specifically the mechanism of Quantum Error Correction (QEC), offers a profoundly new lens through which to examine foundational questions of ontology, emergence, and interpretation. We move beyond the standard debate on quantum speedup to ask: What is the nature of the entity--the logical qubit--that is being protected, and what does the active, goal-directed process of its protection reveal about physical reality? We argue that the logical qubit presents a unique case study in the metaphysics of identity, functioning as a quantifiable "Ship of Theseus" in Hilbert space. We introduce the concept of "engineered emergence" to describe the active, information-driven stabilization of the logical qubit, distinguishing it from passive forms of emergence and positioning it as a new category of causal structure. Finally, we demonstrate that the logical qubit serves as a powerful new testbed for major interpretations of quantum mechanics (including agent-centered, Many-Worlds, and Bohmian views), revealing novel strengths and challenges for each. We conclude that the technological imperative of fault-tolerance is not merely an engineering problem but a catalyst for deep philosophical insight, transforming abstract debates into concrete physical questions. |
| title | The Metaphysics of Protection: Emergence, Agency, and the Ontological Status of Logical Qubits |
| topic | History and Philosophy of Physics Quantum Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.00023 |