Containing the proceedings of the symposium held by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Niels Bohr, this collection was first published in 1988. More than any other individual, Bohr was responsible for the development of quantum mechanics and for many of its applications in the pursuit of fundamental understanding of physical reality. In addition to his unique role in the discovery and elucidation of quantum theory, Bohr led the study of the fission of nuclei and was greatly concerned with the impact of the existence of the atomic bomb in the post-World War II era. This unique volume provides a panoramic view of modern physics, some of the philosophical issues associated with quantum theory, the impact of this momentous scientific development on the political circumstance of the Cold War Era and the qualities of a superlative scientist.
Containing the proceedings of the symposium held by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Niels Bohr, this collection was first published in 1988. More than any other individual, Bohr was responsible for the development of quantum mechanics and for many of its applications in the pursuit of fundamental understanding of physical reality. In addition to his unique role in the discovery and elucidation of quantum theory, Bohr led the study of the fission of nuclei and was greatly concerned with the impact of the existence of the atomic bomb in the post-World War II era. This unique volume provides a panoramic view of modern physics, some of the philosophical issues associated with quantum theory, the impact of this momentous scientific development on the political circumstance of the Cold War Era and the qualities of a superlative scientist.
Overview, Victor Weisskopf Niels Bohr and the development of physics, A.Pais on the origins of the Copenhagen interpretation, Arthur I.Miller Niels Bohr and atomic physics today, Daniel Kleppner condensed matter physics - does quantum mechanics matter?, Michael E.Fisher nuclear physics - comments and reflections, Herman Feshbach the new ether, J.D.Bjorken recent developments in cosmology, George Field black holes and the foundations of quantum mechanics, Gerard't Hooft do black holes emit black body radiation?, T.D.Lee quarternionic quantum field theory, Stephen L.Adler light and life - Niels Bohr's legacy to contemporary biology, Gunther S.Stent Bertlmann's socks and the nature of reality, J.S.Bell fifty years later - when gedanken experiments become real experiments, Alain Aspect Philippe Grangier physical and philosophical issues in the Bohr-Einstein debate, Abner Shimony the Soviet reaction to Bohr's quantum mechanics, Loren R.Graham Niels Bohr and the first principles of arms control, Martin J.Sherwin American attitudes on security - comments, John Steinbruner science, technology and the arms race - European perspectives, Edoardo Amaldi.
Abstract The life of Niels Bohr spans times of revolutionary change in science itself as well as in its impact on society. As the curtain rises, the reality of atoms is still under debate, the structure of atoms still a matter of conjecture, the atomic nucleus is not yet discovered, practical applications of atomic energy, for good or evil, are not even visible on the far horizon. All that changed during Bohr’s life, much of it under his own influence. He was the first to understand how atoms are put together, he played a leading role in the development of the theory of the atomic nucleus, and he was the godfather of nuclear medicine. He was also th first to bring to the attention of leading statesmen the need for openness betwe1:m West and East, a need resulting from the advent of formidable new weapdms developed during and after World War II. Time and again he would stress that openness was essential for political world stability.Even more profound than new discoveries and perceptions regarding the structure of matter are new physical laws discovered in that same period. Here the key concepts are relativity theory and quantum theory. Bohr was the principal figure in elucidating the revisions of the philosophical foundations of physics needed for a comprehension of quantum phenomena. I have been told that Vladimir Horowitz once commented on Mozart’s music that it is too easy for beginners and too hard for experts. The same can be said of quantum physics. In this book I attempt to outline for beginners how most experts think about quantum theory.
Niels Bohr and Philosophy of Physics: Twenty-First Century Perspectives examines the philosophical views, influences and legacy of the Nobel Prize physicist and philosophical spokesman of the quantum revolution, Niels Bohr. The sixteen contributions in this collection by some of the best contemporary philosophers and physicists writing on Bohr's philosophy today all carefully distinguish his subtle and unique interpretation of quantum mechanics from views often imputed to him under the banner of the “Copenhagen Interpretation.” With respect to philosophical influences on Bohr's outlook, the contributors analyse prominent similarities between his viewpoint and Kantian ways of thinking, the views of the Danish philosopher Harald Høffding, and themes characteristic of American pragmatism. In recognizing the importance of Bohr's epistemological naturalism they examine his defence of the indispensability of classical concepts from a variety of different perspectives. This collection shows us that Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics, now nearly a century old, still has the power to shed light on a variety of issues that have arisen only since his lifetime, as well as decoherence theory and other non-collapse interpretations. Balancing historical themes with contemporary discussions, Niels Bohr and the Philosophy of Physics establishes Bohr's on-going contribution to the philosophy of physics and examines his place in the history of philosophy.
Part I. Niels Bohr. Communications delivered to the Royal Danish Academy of sciences and letters, October 3, 1985 (edited by E. Dal). Niels Bohr and The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (B. Strmgren). Epistemological considerations (H.B.G. Casimir). Part II. The Lesson of Quantum Theory. Proceedings of the Niels Bohr centenary symposium, October 4-7, 1985 (edited by J. de Boer and O. Ulfbeck). The Lesson of Quantum Theory. Measurement in quantum theory and the problem of complex systems (P.W. Anderson). Quantum mechanics at the macroscopic level (A.J. Leggett). Strange quantum numbers in condensed matter and field theory (J.R. Schrieffer). The study of the nucleus as a theme in contemporary physics (B.R. Mottelson). ``Complementarity'' between energy and temperature (J. Lindhard). Radiation by uniformly moving sources (V.L. Ginzburg). Does elementary particle physics have a future? (S.L. Glashow). Observability of quarks (J.D. Bojrken). The transformation of elementary particle physics into many-body physics (L. Van Hove). Physics in terms of difference equations (T.D. Lee). Some lessons of renormalization theory (A.S. Wightman). Particles, fields and now strings (S. Weinberg). Collective and planetary motion in atoms (R.S. Berry). Unity of Knowledge. The origin and evolution of large-scale structure in the universe (W.L.W. Sargent). Molecular replication and the origins of life (L.E. Orgel). Physics, biological computation and complementarity (J.J. Hopfield). Complementarity in linguistic observation, description and explanation (W.U. Dressler). Niels Bohr. Great connections come alive: Bohr, Ehrenfest and Einstein (M.J. Klein). Niels Bohr and nuclear weapons (M. Gowing). Niels Bohr: The man and his legacy (J.A. Wheeler). Mellem Spog og Alvor: Personal recollections about Niels Bohr (H.B.G. Casimir). Part III. Jest and Earnest. AAddresses presented at the evening gathering in Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket, October 7, 1985. (edited by J. de Boer and O. Ulfbeck). Parentesen (A. Aaboe). Truth and clarity (R. Peierls). Niels Bohr, the quantum and the world (V.F. Weisskopf).
Niels Bohr and the Philosophy of Physics: Twenty-First-Century Perspectives examines the philosophical views, influences and legacy of the Nobel Prize physicist and philosophical spokesman of the quantum revolution, Niels Bohr. The sixteen contributions in this collection by some of the best contemporary philosophers and physicists writing on Bohr’s philosophy today all carefully distinguish his subtle and unique interpretation of quantum mechanics from views often imputed to him under the banner of the “Copenhagen Interpretation.” With respect to philosophical influences on Bohr’s outlook, the contributors analyse prominent similarities between his viewpoint and Kantian ways of thinking, the views of the Danish philosopher Harald Høffding, and themes characteristic of American pragmatism. In recognizing the importance of Bohr’s epistemological naturalism they examine his defence of the indispensability of classical concepts from a variety of different perspectives. This collection shows us that Bohr’s interpretation of quantum mechanics, now nearly a century old, still has
Once I tried to teach some quantum mechanics to a class of law students, philosophers, and art historians. As an advertisement for the course I put together the most sensational quotations I could collect from the most authoritative practitioners of the subject. Heisenberg was a goldmine: “The concept of the objective reality of the elementary particles has thus evaporated…”; “the idea of an objective real world whose smallest parts exist objectively in the same sense as stones or trees exist, independently of whether or not we observe them … is impossible …” Feynman did his part too: “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” But I failed to turn up anything comparable in the writings of Bohr. Others attributed spectacular remarks to him, but he seemed to take pains to avoid any hint of the dramatic in his own writings. You don't pack them into your classroom with “The indivisibility of quantum phenomena finds its consequent expression in the circumstance that every definable subdivision would require a change of the experimental arrangement with the appearance of new individual phenomena,” or “the wider frame of complementarity directly expresses our position as regards the account of fundamental properties of matter presupposed in classical physical description but outside its scope.” I was therefore on the lookout for nuggets when I sat down to review these three volumes – a reissue of Bohr's collected essays on the revolutionary epistemological character of the quantum theory and on the implications of that revolution for other scientific and non-scientific areas of endeavor (the originals first appeared in 1934, 1958, and 1963.)