Instruct: Identify the main and secondary category of Arxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: Consistent Sets and Contrary Inferences: Reply to Griffiths and Hartle   It was pointed out recently [A. Kent, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78 (1997) 2874] that
the consistent histories approach allows contrary inferences to be made from
the same data. These inferences correspond to projections $P$ and $Q$,
belonging to different consistent sets, with the properties that $PQ = QP = 0$
and $P \neq 1 -Q$. To many, this seems undesirable in a theory of physical
inferences. It also raises a specific problem for the consistent histories
formalism, since that formalism is set up so as to eliminate contradictory
inferences, i.e. inferences $P$ and $Q$ where $P = 1 - Q$. Yet there seems to
be no sensible physical distinction between contradictory and contrary
inferences.
  It seems particularly hard to defend the asymmetry, since (i) there is a
well-defined quantum histories formalisms which admits both contradictory and
contrary inferences, and (ii) there is also a well-defined formalism, based on
ordered consistent sets of histories, which excludes both.
  In a recent comment, Griffiths and Hartle, while accepting the validity of
the examples given in the above paper, restate their own preference for the
consistent histories formalism. As this brief reply explains, in so doing, they
fail to address the arguments made against their approach to quantum theory.

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The categories of this paper are: funct-an
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The categories of this paper are: chem-ph
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The categories of this paper are: hep-ex
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The categories of this paper are: stat
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The categories of this paper are: eess
3
The categories of this paper are: physics
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The categories of this paper are: nucl-th
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The categories of this paper are: chao-dyn
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The categories of this paper are: astro-ph
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The categories of this paper are: acc-phys
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The categories of this paper are: nlin
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The categories of this paper are: hep-lat
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The categories of this paper are: q-bio
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The categories of this paper are: nucl-ex
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The categories of this paper are: comp-gas
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The categories of this paper are: cond-mat