Against the Particle-Wave Duality as a Literal Duality

Textbooks often describe quantum entities as “sometimes particles, sometimes waves,” suggesting a literal duality in nature. But this framing misleads. Electrons, photons, and other quanta are not dual objects; they are instantiations of relational potential whose behaviour depends on context and measurement. The apparent wave or particle properties are patterns in the actualisation of possibilities, not two separate substances switching identities. Treating duality as literal obscures the continuity between potential and actualisation and encourages a category mistake: assuming quantum behaviour must fit pre-existing classical metaphors.