Metaphysics For Quantum Mechanics

This essay proposes a Thomistic-Aristotelian metaphysical reconfiguration of quantum mechanics, centered on the interpretation of non-locality, wave function collapse, and the ontological status of space-time. Starting from the persistent paradoxes surrounding entanglement and measurement — where instantaneous correlations defy classical causality — we argue that these phenomena reflect not a breakdown of reason but a call to deeper metaphysical articulation. Drawing upon Aquinas's doctrine of act and potency, and introducing the hypothesis of materia sub forma non signata (substantially informed matter not yet accidentally actualized), we reinterpret the quantum collapse as an accidental actualization of structured potency rather than an ontological discontinuity. The essay further distinguishes the logical mode underpinning classical Thomism — implicitly based on Barbara syllogisms and vertical causality — from the more relational, participatory logic found in Aristotle's broader metaphysical openness, exemplified here through the Darapti syllogism. It is this latter logic, we propose, that better captures the simultaneity, non-local co-implication, and non-temporal structures revealed by quantum experiments. Philosophically, this move allows for a model of being that is internally disposed to expression without extrinsic imposition; theologically, it enables a non-interventionist view of divine action compatible with classical doctrines of providence; physically, it opens the door to a non-Kolmogorovian understanding of quantum probability as formal potency rather than ignorance. We conclude that quantum mechanics, far from refuting metaphysical intelligibility, demands its renewal — not through metaphysical invention, but through the recovery and refinement of forgotten distinctions in the tradition itself.