Thus: to exercise my gratefully-received author’s last-word prerogative.

I have a better understanding of where you’re coming from now Travis (I also managed to skim very quickly some parts of your paper—which I shall return to properly in hopefully not too long—and that helped me see better where some of our differences are emerging).

I…[Read more]

Hi Travis,

We seem to be going in circles, or talking past each other, which is disheartening. Of course, internet message boards aren’t the most subtle medium of communication ever devised, especially when it comes to nuances—perhaps we should convene over a beer at some point to thrash out whatever still needs thrashing out.

But let me have…[Read more]

Hi Travis,

Actually, I suspect that you are more familiar with the distinction between the occurrent and the modal than you realise – you (as all of us) will operate with the distinction hundreds, if not thousands, of times a day, in our ordinary thinking about, e.g., how things currently are in the world and how they would be were such-and-such…[Read more]

Hi Travis,

Thanks for these further comments. And yes – I’m keen to read your mentioned papers.

“Confusion or forgetfullness about the ontology” Are these really the only two diagnostic options 😉 Of course we agree that the universal state grounds the ontology and indeed the local density operators for individual regions of spacetime generally…[Read more]

Hi folks,

First, many thanks for these interesting comments and questions. Second, humble apologies for being so slow to reply (not least considering Travis’ and Howard’s getting the ball rolling so promptly): I can only plead the end of term and the whirlwind of the seasonal holidays.

But to the business:

In reply to Howard’s query – why not…[Read more]