The Illusory Appeal of Decoherence in the Everettian Picture: Affirming the Consequent

Abstract

The idea that decoherence in a unitary-only quantum theory suffices to explain emergence of classical phenomena has been shown in the peer-reviewed literature to be seriously flawed due to circularity. However, claims continue to be made that this approach, also known as "Quantum Darwinism," is the correct way to understand classical emergence. This Letter reviews the basic problem and points out an additional logical flaw in the argument. It is concluded that the "Quantum Darwinism" program fails.