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Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Objectivity

Patrick A. Heelan

Published Jan 1, 1965• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Introduction to Heelan's Quantum Mechanics and Objectivity, focused on the quantum mechanics of Heisenberg. The aim of the book is to state and analyze the 'crisis of objectivity' (or crisis of reality) in quantum physics. The method used is an analysis of the intentionality structure of quantum physics as Heisenberg conceived it to be. Through a critique, the present study seeks to arrive at a clarification of both the problem and its presuppositions and ultimately a tentative solution.

Related papers

Quantum Mechanics and Objectivity - Table of Contents and Preface and Acknowledgments

Patrick A. Heelan

This book deals with the 'crisis of objectivity' and the 'crisis of realism' which overtook physics when Heisenberg and Bohr consciously rejecting the intentionality-structure of classical physics, gave physics a new form and a new philosophy. The new physics was called quantum mechanics and the new philosophy was called complimentarity. Using the method 'analysis of horizons,' the author attempts to disentangle the epistemological and ontological pesuppositions of Heisenberg's view of complementarity. A similar analysis of Bohr's view of complimentarity reveals a remarkable contrast in basic philosophy between the two founders of quantum physics. The author distinguishes various kinds of objectivity and realism and discusses critically the different aspects of the crisis that emerges in the quantum theory of measurement, the indeterminacy relations and in the statistical and causal structure of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg's formulation of the crisis is reduced to the underlying presuppositions of his thought. These presuppositions are criticised and shown to be defective. A more nuanced epistemological analysis reveals that quantum mechanics answers in a specially beautiful way to the full exigencies of the human mind and its knowledge of concrete reality.

•Jan 1, 1965•0 citations

Heisenberg on Science, Language, and the Question of Objectivity

Makoto Katsumori

Far from regarding physical science as a universal model of human knowledge, Werner Heisenberg relativized the scientificity of natural science, situating this domain of knowledge in a wide range of our modes of experiencing the world. In this paper, with a focus on his critical analysis of the notion of objectivity in quantum theory and other fields, I survey Heisenberg’s view of the world as divided into six distinct areas of reality, including – but not centered on – physical science. I also seek to show how this conception of the structure of reality, specifically of the relation between different areas of reality, is mediated by his mis- or reinterpretation of Bohr’s idea of complementarity.

ENERGEIA ONLINE JOURNAL FOR LINGUISTICS LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY OF LINGUISTICS•Jan 26, 2010•0 citations

REALITY IN HEISENBERG'S PHILOSOPHY - Chapter Eight of Heelan's Quantum Mechanics and Objectivity

Patrick A. Heelan

This chapter contains a study of Heisenberg's views of the ontological content of quantum mechanics from I925 until the present day. During the quantum revolution of I925, he began by accepting a Berkeley-type empiricism in which the reality of a quantum mechanical system was reduced to that of a set of observation events, which were, however, acausally connected and in consequence did not constitute a stable phenomenal object of experimental knowledge. After 1955, he professed a modified form of Kantian philosophy whose starting point was the existence of universal and necessary scientific laws. Those universal and necessary scientific laws from which Kant started have been shown to belong only to restricted domains of intuitive experience (the domain of everyday life and classical physics). Heisenberg defines noumenal reality as the object of an intellectual intuition (episteme) which, however, is a kind of knowledge we do not possess. We know noumenal reality only through symbols in an intellectually patterned experience. There are two kinds of noumenal reality: there is the thing-in-itself which is the correlate of the phenomenal object, and there is the dunamis (or Aristotelian potentia or objective tendency) which is the correlate of the quantum mechanical system (e.g., elementary particle, atom, etc.). The latter is the noumenal correlate of the phenomenal or experienced union of subject and object taking place in the act of observation. The importance of universal symmetries in the expression of general laws of nature is stressed by Heisenberg, and these constitute for him the true basis for transcendental philosophy.

•Jan 1, 1965•0 citations

An Introduction to the Foundations and Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

Theodore McKeever, Ahsan Nazir

This article surveys a selection of key conceptual and interpretational developments in quantum mechanics, tracing the theory from its foundational postulates to contemporary discussions of measurement, nonlocality, and the emergence of classicality. Beginning with the structure of Hilbert space and the postulates governing state evolution and measurement, the epistemic stance of the Copenhagen interpretation and its modern reformulations are examined. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen argument, Bell's theorem, and Hardy's paradox are then discussed as probes of locality and realism, alongside the deterministic but explicitly nonlocal de Broglie-Bohm theory. The measurement problem and the implications of contextuality are analyzed in relation to objective collapse models, which introduce new physical dynamics to account for definite outcomes. Finally, the role of decoherence in the suppression of interference and the emergence of classical behavior is explored, together with the interpretational frameworks of many-worlds and consistent histories. This material aims to provide a coherent introductory overview of how several of the most prominent interpretations address the central concern of what quantum mechanics tells us about the nature of physical reality.

quant-pharXiv:2603.09818•Mar 11, 2026•0 citations

Introduction to the Maths and Physics of Quantum Mechanics

L. Piccirillo

Introduction to the Maths and Physics of Quantum Mechanics details the mathematics and physics that are needed to learn the principles of quantum mechanics. It provides an accessible treatment of how to use quantum mechanics and why it is so successful in explaining natural phenomena. This book clarifies various aspects of quantum physics such as ‘why quantum mechanics equations contain “I”, the imaginary number?’, ‘Is it possible to make a transition from classical mechanics to quantum physics without using postulates?’ and ‘What is the origin of the uncertainty principle?’. A significant proportion of discussion is dedicated to the issue of why the wave function must be complex to properly describe our “real” world. The book also addresses the different formulations of quantum mechanics. A relatively simple introductory treatment is given for the “standard” Heisenberg matrix formulation and Schrodinger wave-function formulation and Feynman path integrals and second quantization are then discussed. This book will appeal to first- and second-year university students in physics, mathematics, engineering and other sciences studying quantum mechanics who will find material and clarifications not easily found in other textbooks. It will also appeal to self-taught readers with a genuine interest in modern physics who are willing to examine the mathematics and physics in a simple but rigorous way. Key Features: Written in an engaging and approachable manner, with fully explained mathematics and physics concepts Suitable as a companion to all introductory quantum mechanics textbooks Accessible to a general audience

CRC Press eBooks•Jul 25, 2023•0 citations

The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and the Measurement Process

Peter Mittelstaedt

The main theme of this book is the idea that quantum mechanics is valid not only for microscopic objects but also for the macroscopic apparatus used for quantum mechanical measurements. The author demonstrates the intimate relations that exist between quantum mechanics and its interpretation which are induced by the quantum mechanical measurement process. Consequently, the book is concerned both with the philosophical, metatheoretical problems of interpretations and with the more formal problems of quantum object theory. The consequences of this approach turn out to be partly very promising and partly rather disappointing. On the one hand, it is possible to give a rigorous justification of some important parts of interpretation, such as probability, by means of object theory. On the other hand, the problem of the objectification of measurement results leads to inconsistencies which cannot be resolved in an obvious way. This open problem has far-reaching consequences for the possibility of recognising an objective reality in physics.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Dec 4, 1997•177 citations
Introduction to Heelan's Quantum Mechanics and Objectivity, focused on the quantum mechanics of Heisenberg. The aim of the book is to state and analyze the 'crisis of objectivity' (or crisis of reality) in quantum physics. The method used is an analysis of the intentionality structure of quantum physics as Heisenberg conceived it to be. Through a critique, the present study seeks to arrive at a clarification of both the problem and its presuppositions and ultimately a tentative solution.
This book deals with the 'crisis of objectivity' and the 'crisis of realism' which overtook physics when Heisenberg and Bohr consciously rejecting the intentionality-structure of classical physics, gave physics a new form and a new philosophy. The new physics was called quantum mechanics and the new philosophy was called complimentarity. Using the method 'analysis of horizons,' the author attempts to disentangle the epistemological and ontological pesuppositions of Heisenberg's view of complementarity. A similar analysis of Bohr's view of complimentarity reveals a remarkable contrast in basic philosophy between the two founders of quantum physics. The author distinguishes various kinds of objectivity and realism and discusses critically the different aspects of the crisis that emerges in the quantum theory of measurement, the indeterminacy relations and in the statistical and causal structure of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg's formulation of the crisis is reduced to the underlying presuppositions of his thought. These presuppositions are criticised and shown to be defective. A more nuanced epistemological analysis reveals that quantum mechanics answers in a specially beautiful way to the full exigencies of the human mind and its knowledge of concrete reality.
Far from regarding physical science as a universal model of human knowledge, Werner Heisenberg relativized the scientificity of natural science, situating this domain of knowledge in a wide range of our modes of experiencing the world. In this paper, with a focus on his critical analysis of the notion of objectivity in quantum theory and other fields, I survey Heisenberg’s view of the world as divided into six distinct areas of reality, including – but not centered on – physical science. I also seek to show how this conception of the structure of reality, specifically of the relation between different areas of reality, is mediated by his mis- or reinterpretation of Bohr’s idea of complementarity.
This chapter contains a study of Heisenberg's views of the ontological content of quantum mechanics from I925 until the present day. During the quantum revolution of I925, he began by accepting a Berkeley-type empiricism in which the reality of a quantum mechanical system was reduced to that of a set of observation events, which were, however, acausally connected and in consequence did not constitute a stable phenomenal object of experimental knowledge. After 1955, he professed a modified form of Kantian philosophy whose starting point was the existence of universal and necessary scientific laws. Those universal and necessary scientific laws from which Kant started have been shown to belong only to restricted domains of intuitive experience (the domain of everyday life and classical physics). Heisenberg defines noumenal reality as the object of an intellectual intuition (episteme) which, however, is a kind of knowledge we do not possess. We know noumenal reality only through symbols in an intellectually patterned experience. There are two kinds of noumenal reality: there is the thing-in-itself which is the correlate of the phenomenal object, and there is the dunamis (or Aristotelian potentia or objective tendency) which is the correlate of the quantum mechanical system (e.g., elementary particle, atom, etc.). The latter is the noumenal correlate of the phenomenal or experienced union of subject and object taking place in the act of observation. The importance of universal symmetries in the expression of general laws of nature is stressed by Heisenberg, and these constitute for him the true basis for transcendental philosophy.
This article surveys a selection of key conceptual and interpretational developments in quantum mechanics, tracing the theory from its foundational postulates to contemporary discussions of measurement, nonlocality, and the emergence of classicality. Beginning with the structure of Hilbert space and the postulates governing state evolution and measurement, the epistemic stance of the Copenhagen interpretation and its modern reformulations are examined. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen argument, Bell's theorem, and Hardy's paradox are then discussed as probes of locality and realism, alongside the deterministic but explicitly nonlocal de Broglie-Bohm theory. The measurement problem and the implications of contextuality are analyzed in relation to objective collapse models, which introduce new physical dynamics to account for definite outcomes. Finally, the role of decoherence in the suppression of interference and the emergence of classical behavior is explored, together with the interpretational frameworks of many-worlds and consistent histories. This material aims to provide a coherent introductory overview of how several of the most prominent interpretations address the central concern of what quantum mechanics tells us about the nature of physical reality.
Introduction to the Maths and Physics of Quantum Mechanics details the mathematics and physics that are needed to learn the principles of quantum mechanics. It provides an accessible treatment of how to use quantum mechanics and why it is so successful in explaining natural phenomena. This book clarifies various aspects of quantum physics such as ‘why quantum mechanics equations contain “I”, the imaginary number?’, ‘Is it possible to make a transition from classical mechanics to quantum physics without using postulates?’ and ‘What is the origin of the uncertainty principle?’. A significant proportion of discussion is dedicated to the issue of why the wave function must be complex to properly describe our “real” world. The book also addresses the different formulations of quantum mechanics. A relatively simple introductory treatment is given for the “standard” Heisenberg matrix formulation and Schrodinger wave-function formulation and Feynman path integrals and second quantization are then discussed. This book will appeal to first- and second-year university students in physics, mathematics, engineering and other sciences studying quantum mechanics who will find material and clarifications not easily found in other textbooks. It will also appeal to self-taught readers with a genuine interest in modern physics who are willing to examine the mathematics and physics in a simple but rigorous way. Key Features: Written in an engaging and approachable manner, with fully explained mathematics and physics concepts Suitable as a companion to all introductory quantum mechanics textbooks Accessible to a general audience
The main theme of this book is the idea that quantum mechanics is valid not only for microscopic objects but also for the macroscopic apparatus used for quantum mechanical measurements. The author demonstrates the intimate relations that exist between quantum mechanics and its interpretation which are induced by the quantum mechanical measurement process. Consequently, the book is concerned both with the philosophical, metatheoretical problems of interpretations and with the more formal problems of quantum object theory. The consequences of this approach turn out to be partly very promising and partly rather disappointing. On the one hand, it is possible to give a rigorous justification of some important parts of interpretation, such as probability, by means of object theory. On the other hand, the problem of the objectification of measurement results leads to inconsistencies which cannot be resolved in an obvious way. This open problem has far-reaching consequences for the possibility of recognising an objective reality in physics.