Quantum entanglement is often called the “spookiest” phenomenon in physics, challenging our classical intuitions about locality and separability. Two particles, once entangled, seem to instantaneously affect each other’s states regardless of distance—a puzzling result under traditional ontologies grounded in discrete objects and local interactions.
In this post, we examine entanglement and nonlocality through the lens of relational ontology, which offers a fresh conceptual framework to understand these phenomena not as mysterious signals but as manifestations of coherence extended across relational fields.
1. The Puzzle of Entanglement
Entanglement arises when quantum systems are prepared in a joint state such that their properties cannot be described independently. Measurements on one system instantly determine the state of the other, no matter the spatial separation.
Classically, this suggests either:
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Faster-than-light influence (violating relativity),
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Hidden variables coordinating outcomes,
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Or a breakdown of realism and locality.
2. Relational Ontology: Coherence as the Fundamental
From a relational standpoint:
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Systems are not independent entities with intrinsic properties,
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Instead, entangled systems form a single relational field,
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The “instantaneous” correlations reflect the nonseparability of this field, not signal transmission.
Entanglement is a pattern of relational coherence, a systemic configuration where parts cannot be meaningfully separated.
3. Beyond Spatial Separability
Classical locality assumes:
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Objects exist separately in space,
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Interactions propagate via local mediators.
Relational ontology reframes space as emergent from relations rather than prior to them.
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Spatial separation is a feature of particular relational configurations,
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In entangled states, relational coherence transcends classical spatial constraints,
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The field’s coherence is nonlocal not by signal, but by ontology.
4. Measurement and Entanglement
When measurement acts on part of an entangled system:
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It punctuates the relational field, actualising particular coherence,
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The correlated outcome in the other part is not caused by a signal but is a manifestation of the field’s holistic coherence,
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This removes the need for “spooky action” while preserving the experimentally verified correlations.
Closing
Entanglement, seen relationally, is not a violation of causality or locality but an expression of how coherence organises across relational fields that transcend classical spatial and temporal notions.
This perspective aligns with emerging approaches in quantum foundations emphasising process, contextuality, and relational holism.
In the next post, we will consider how this relational view impacts our understanding of spacetime itself: Could spacetime geometry emerge from quantum relationality?
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