Physicalism Versus Quantum Mechanics

Abstract

The widely held philosophical position called “physicalism” has been described and defended in a recent book by Jaegwon Kim. The physicalist position claims that the world is basically purely physical. However, “physical” is interpreted in a way predicated, in effect, upon certain properties of classical physics that are contradicted by the precepts of orthodox quantum physics. Kim’s arguments reveal two horns of a dilemma that the physicalist is forced to face as a consequence of accepting this classical notion of “physical”. Kim admits that neither of the two options, “epiphenomenalism” or “reduction”, is very palatable, but he finds a compromise that he deems acceptable.