Ontological Evasions in Physics, Part 13 Wavefunction Realism: Reifying the Abstract

Quantum mechanics presents a formalism whose central object, the wavefunction, exists mathematically in high-dimensional Hilbert space rather than in observable spacetime. Some interpretations treat the wavefunction as real, giving it ontological status. While this move preserves formal coherence, it is a classic ontological evasion: it elevates a mathematical abstraction into reality without explaining how relational actualisation occurs in the three-dimensional world we inhabit.

The evasive manoeuvre

By asserting the wavefunction as ontologically real, physics sidesteps the question of how its high-dimensional structure translates into the relational dynamics of ordinary space. Actualisation, interaction, and measurement are thus left underexplored; the wavefunction serves as a stand-in for what is not yet understood about relational emergence.

The ontological cost

Reality is displaced from relationally accessible events into a shadowy, abstract space. Possibility becomes encoded mathematically rather than perspectivally, and relational alignment is obscured. Observables and interactions are derivatives of a structure that cannot itself be directly related to the world, leaving the ontology of quantum actualisation unresolved.

The epistemic collapse

Treating the wavefunction as “real” risks collapsing epistemic clarity. Predictions can be accurate, but they are grounded in abstraction rather than relational understanding. Experiments confirm the formalism, but not the reality of the Hilbert space ontology. Knowledge becomes a function of calculation rather than relational insight.

The theological return

Elevating the wavefunction mirrors a quasi-theological impulse: reality is invested in an inaccessible, all-encompassing structure. The high-dimensional space functions like a hidden cosmos, governing lower-dimensional phenomena from beyond observation, much like a transcendent divine realm shaping the world indirectly.

A relational reframing

Relational ontology resolves the puzzle by treating the wavefunction as a tool of construal, not a literal entity. Quantum states encode relational potentialities that actualise perspectivally in spacetime, through interaction and alignment. Possibility and actuality are emergent, not pre-encoded in an abstract mathematical cosmos.

Conclusion

Wavefunction realism exemplifies ontological evasion by substituting abstract formalism for relational understanding. A relational reframing restores coherence: the wavefunction is a map of potential, actualisation occurs through relation, and the abstract does not supplant the relational grounding of reality.