Knowledge Bank

This essay addresses a number of thorny issues which all arise from a single claim: quantum particles are (in some sense of the word) not individuals. This claim is commonplace to the physicist, puzzling to the philosopher, and simply nonsensical to the layman. Accordingly, the task that underpins this entire essay is to lead the way from the “nonsensicality” knee-jerk reaction to a precise understanding of why it must be the case that quanta cannot be regarded as individuals. Additionally, I will argue that these non-individuals, as such, constitute a counterexample to Leibniz’s Law (LL). The thesis of this essay is therefore twofold.