Comparison of interpretationsThe most common interpretations are summarized in the table below. The values shown in the cells of the table are not without controversy, for the precise meanings of some of the concepts involved are unclear and, in fact, are themselves at the center of the controversy surrounding the given interpretation. For another table comparing interpretations of quantum theory, see reference.[50] No experimental evidence exists that distinguishes among these interpretations. To that extent, the physical theory stands, and is consistent with itself and with reality; difficulties arise only when one attempts to "interpret" the theory. Nevertheless, designing experiments which would test the various interpretations is the subject of active research. Most of these interpretations have variants. For example, it is difficult to get a precise definition of the Copenhagen interpretation as it was developed and argued about by many people. |
Ensemble interpretation | Max Born, 1926 | Agnostic | No | Yes | Agnostic | No | No | No | No | No | Copenhagen interpretation | Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, 1927 | No | No1 | Yes | No | Yes2 | Causal | No | No | No | de Broglie–Bohm theory | Louis de Broglie, 1927, David Bohm, 1952 | Yes | Yes3 | Yes4 | Yes | Phenomenological | No | No15 | Yes | Yes | Quantum logic | Garrett Birkhoff, 1936 | Agnostic | Agnostic | Yes5 | No | No | Interpretational6 | Agnostic | No | No | Time-symmetric theories | Satosi Watanabe, 1955 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Many-worlds interpretation | Hugh Everett, 1957 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Ill-posed | Yes | Consciousness causes collapse | Eugene Wigner, 1961 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Causal | No | No | Yes | Stochastic interpretation | Edward Nelson, 1966 | No | No | Yes | Yes14 | No | No | No | Yes14 | No | Many-minds interpretation | H. Dieter Zeh, 1970 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Interpretational7 | Yes | Ill-posed | Yes | Consistent histories | Robert B. Griffiths, 1984 | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Transactional interpretation | John G. Cramer, 1986 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes8 | No | No12 | Yes | No | Objective collapse theories | Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber, 1986, Penrose interpretation, 1989 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Relational interpretation | Carlo Rovelli, 1994 | Agnostic | No | Agnostic9 | No | Yes10 | Intrinsic11 | Yes[51] | No | No | QBism | Christopher Fuchs, Ruediger Schack, 2010 | No | No16 | Agnostic17 | No | Yes18 | Intrinsic19 | Yes | No | No |
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