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Reading Bohr: Physics and Philosophy offers a new perspective on Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics as complementarity, and on the relationships between physics and philosophy in Bohr's work, which has had momentous significance for our understanding of quantum theory and of the nature of knowledge in general. Philosophically, the book reassesses Bohr's place in the Western philosophical tradition, from Kant and Hegel on. Physically, it reconsiders the main issues at stake in the Bohr-Einstein confrontation and in the ongoing debates concerning quantum physics. It also devotes greater attention than in most commentaries on Bohr to the key developments and transformations of his thinking concerning complementarity.
Most significant among them were those that occurred, first, under the impact of Bohr's exchanges with Einstein and, second, under the impact of developments in quantum theory itself, both quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. The importance of quantum field theory for Bohr's thinking has not been adequately addressed in the literature on Bohr, to the considerable detriment to our understanding of the history of quantum physics. Filling this lacuna is one of the main contributions of the book, which also enables us to show why quantum field theory compels us to move beyond Bohr without, however, simply leaving him behind.
List of contents
Complementarity, Quantum Mechanics, and Interpretation.- Complementarity, Epistemology, and Quantum Mechanics as an Information Theory.- Complementarity, Quantum Variables, and the Relationships between Mathematics and Physics.- Complementarity, Quantum Entanglement, and Locality.- Complementarity, Chance, and Probability.- Complementarity, Quantum Mechanics, and Quantum Field Theory.- Complementarity: From Physics to Philosophy, From Philosophy to Physics.
About the author
Arkady Plotnitsky is a distinguished professor at Purdue University, where he teaches in the Literature, Theory and Cultural Studies Program, and the Philosophy and Literature Program. He received his M.S. in Mathematics from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) State University, and his PhD in Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania. He previously taught at the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University. His extensive publications on the philosophy of mathematics and physics, continental philosophy, and on the relationships among literature, philosophy, and science, include nine books, two hundred articles and, as editor/coeditor, nine volumes of essays and journal issues. He has given about one hundred invited plenary lectures and presented over three hundred papers at international conferences. His most recent books are The Principles of Quantum Theory, from Planck's Quantum to the Higgs Boson: The Nature of Quantum Reality and the Spirit of Copenhagen (Springer,2016) and Reality Without Realism: Matter, Thought, and Technology in Quantum Physics (Springer, 2021).
Summary
Reading Bohr: Physics and Philosophy
offers a new perspective on Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics as complementarity, and on the relationships between physics and philosophy in Bohr's work, which has had momentous significance for our understanding of quantum theory and of the nature of knowledge in general. Philosophically, the book reassesses Bohr's place in the Western philosophical tradition, from Kant and Hegel on. Physically, it reconsiders the main issues at stake in the Bohr-Einstein confrontation and in the ongoing debates concerning quantum physics. It also devotes greater attention than in most commentaries on Bohr to the key developments and transformations of his thinking concerning complementarity.
Most significant among them were those that occurred, first, under the impact of Bohr's exchanges with Einstein and, second, under the impact of developments in quantum theory itself, both quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. The importance of quantum field theory for Bohr's thinking has not been adequately addressed in the literature on Bohr, to the considerable detriment to our understanding of the history of quantum physics. Filling this lacuna is one of the main contributions of the book, which also enables us to show why quantum field theory compels us to move beyond Bohr without, however, simply leaving him behind.
Additional text
From the reviews:
"This book seems to be an attempt to engage in a careful analysis of Bohr in a way meant to satisfy critical readers and also support what he here calls ‘nonclassical epistemology’. … Plotnitsky has provided some useful insights regarding Bohr, the book will probably appeal more to those interested in its nonclassical epistemology … ." (Scott Tanona, Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, Vol. 40, 2009)
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From the reviews:
"This book seems to be an attempt to engage in a careful analysis of Bohr in a way meant to satisfy critical readers and also support what he here calls 'nonclassical epistemology'. ... Plotnitsky has provided some useful insights regarding Bohr, the book will probably appeal more to those interested in its nonclassical epistemology ... ." (Scott Tanona, Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, Vol. 40, 2009)
