• Quantum Mechanics
    In W. H. Newton‐Smith (ed.), A Companion to the Philosophy of Science, Blackwell. 2017.
    The early twentieth century saw the development of two revolutionary physical theories: relativity (see space, time and relativity) and quantum mechanics. Relativity theory had an immediate impact on the rise of logical positivism, as philosophers like Carnap, Reichenbach, and Schlick struggled to come to terms with its content and implications (see logical positivism). By contrast, discussion of philosophical issues raised by quantum mechanics began among physicists who created the theory befor…Read more
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    A Pragmatist Perspective on Causation, Laws and Explanation
    In Jan Voosholz & Markus Gabriel (eds.), Top-Down Causation and Emergence, Springer Verlag. pp. 253-268. 2021.
    I offer a pragmatist understanding of causation, laws and explanation that traces the features of these notions to their functions in our practical as well as theoretical projects. Laws derive their importance from their epistemic and methodological functions, while the primary role of causal concepts is in guiding action. Contemporary interventionist accounts of causation and causal modeling appeal to and clarify this practical role while downplaying the causal significance of laws. They also e…Read more
  •  17
    Physicalist imperialism
    Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 79 191-211. 1979.
    Richard Healey; XII*—Physicalist Imperialism, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Volume 79, Issue 1, 1 June 1979, Pages 191–212, https://doi.org/10.1093/a.
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    Securing the objectivity of relative facts in the quantum world
    Foundations of Physics 52 (4): 1-20. 2022.
    This paper compares and contrasts relational quantum mechanics with a pragmatist view of quantum theory. I first explain important points of agreement. Then I point to two problems faced by RQM and sketch DP?s solutions to analogous problems. Since both RQM and DP have taken the Born rule to require relative facts I next say what these might be. My main objection to RQM as originally conceived is that its ontology of relative facts is incompatible with scientific objectivity and undercuts the ev…Read more
  •  31
    The status of laws of nature has been the locus of a lively debate in recent philosophy. Most participants have assumed laws play an important role in science and metaphysics while seeking their objective ground in the natural world, though some skeptics have questioned this assumption. So-called Humeans look to base laws on actual, particular facts such as those specified in David Lewis’s Humean mosaic. Their opponents argue that such a basis is neither necessary nor sufficient to support the i…Read more
  •  53
    Scientific Objectivity and its Limits
    British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. forthcoming.
  •  74
    The contributors to this 1981 volume are all concerned with scientific realism, but each author questions or rejects aspects of the way it has traditionally been discussed. There are three main foci of attention - reduction, time and modality - and the analyses bring out complexities and difficulties obscured in the standard accounts of scientific realism. The papers are powerful and original, representing some of the best in modern philosophy of science, and each were specifically commissioned …Read more
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    A pragmatist view of the metaphysics of entanglement
    Synthese 197 (10): 4265-4302. 2020.
    Quantum entanglement is widely believed to be a feature of physical reality with undoubted (though debated) metaphysical implications. But Schrödinger introduced entanglement as a theoretical relation between representatives of the quantum states of two systems. Entanglement represents a physical relation only if quantum states are elements of physical reality. So arguments for metaphysical holism or nonseparability from entanglement rest on a questionable view of quantum theory. Assignment of e…Read more
  •  12
    A Novel Defense of Scientific Realism
    Mind 110 (439): 777-780. 2001.
  •  20
    Review: Laura Ruetsche (review)
    Philosophical Explorations. forthcoming.
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    Modern Logic and Quantum Mechanics
    Philosophy of Science 52 (4): 642-644. 1985.
  •  19
    Reply to a Comment on “Quantum Theory and the Limits of Objectivity”
    Foundations of Physics 49 (8): 816-819. 2019.
    In this short note I reply to criticisms of an argument in my paper that appear in comment. Baumann et al. raise one “main criticism” then go on to claim that the argument of Healey contains a series of problems. But their “main criticism” is not an objection to the argument and the problems are of their own making.
  •  63
    Quantum Theory and the Limits of Objectivity
    Foundations of Physics 48 (11): 1568-1589. 2018.
    Three recent arguments seek to show that the universal applicability of unitary quantum theory is inconsistent with the assumption that a well-conducted measurement always has a definite physical outcome. In this paper I restate and analyze these arguments. The import of the first two is diminished by their dependence on assumptions about the outcomes of counterfactual measurements. But the third argument establishes its intended conclusion. Even if every well-conducted quantum measurement we ev…Read more
  •  41
    Realism comes in many varieties, in science and elsewhere. Van Fraassen's influential formulation took scientific realism to include the view that science aims to give us, in its theories, a literally true story of what the world is like. So understood, a quantum realist takes quantum theory to aim at correctly representing the world: many would add that its success justifies believing this representation is more or less correct. But quantum realism has been understood both more narrowly and mor…Read more
  • Review Articles-Mining for Metaphysics
    Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 30 (3): 443-452. 1999.
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    Holism in philosophy of mind and philosophy of physics
    Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 34 (2): 334-337. 2003.
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    Quantum Measurement: Beyond Paradox (edited book)
    University of Minnesota Press. 1998.
    Together with relativity theory, quantum mechanics stands as the conceptual foundation of modern physics. It forms the basis by which we understand the minute workings of the subatomic world. But at its core lies a paradox--it is unmeasurable. This book presents a powerful and energetic new approach to the measurement dilemma.
  •  361
    This document records the discussion between participants at the workshop "Philosophy of Gauge Theory," Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, 18-19 April 2009.
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    The Scientific Image
    Philosophical Books 23 (2): 100-102. 1982.
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    The Quantum Revolution in Philosophy
    Oxford University Press. 2017.
    Quantum theory launched a revolution in physics. But we have yet to understand the revolution's significance for philosophy. Richard Healey opens a path to such understanding. The first part of this book offers a self-contained but opinionated introduction to quantum theory. The second part assesses the theory's philosophical significance.
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    Chasing Quantum Causes
    Philosophical Topics 20 (1): 181-204. 1992.
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    Quantum Decoherence in a Pragmatist View: Dispelling Feynman’s Mystery (review)
    Foundations of Physics 42 (12): 1534-1555. 2012.
    The quantum theory of decoherence plays an important role in a pragmatist interpretation of quantum theory. It governs the descriptive content of claims about values of physical magnitudes and offers advice on when to use quantum probabilities as a guide to their truth. The content of a claim is to be understood in terms of its role in inferences. This promises a better treatment of meaning than that offered by Bohr. Quantum theory models physical systems with no mention of measurement: it is de…Read more
  •  73
    A note on Van Fraassen's modal interpretation of quantum mechanics
    Philosophy of Science 63 (1): 91-104. 1996.
    Although there has been some discussion in the literature of Bas van Fraassen's modal interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, it has for the most part been concentrated on difficulties that van Fraassen's viewpoint shares with those of some other authors, including Kochen, Dieks, and Healey. van Fraassen's approach has, however, some problems of its own; in this note we want to focus on what seems to us to be one of the most serious of these. The difficulty concerns immediately repeated non-disturb…Read more