The Bohmian Model of Quantum Cosmology

Philosophers of science have not paid much attention to recent developments in quantum cosmology. This fact is surprising, since quantum cosmology is replete with conceptual issues involving (e.g.) the fundamental nature of time and space, the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the ultimate meaning of probability. One notable exception, Quentin Smith, has recently examined the Hartle-Hawking (1983) proposal. Trying to make sense of the view, he resorts to an instrumentalist picture, which treats the proposal as merely a heuristic device for the algorithm responsible for predictions. While we do not examine Smith's account here, we would like to contrast it with the model presented in this note, in which a fully realistic interpretation of quantum cosmology is developed. Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in the de Broglie-Bohm causal interpretation of quantum mechanics.