The Concept of Dialectical Contradiction in Quantum Physics

M. E. Omel'ianovskii

Contemporary physicists, in creating theories adequate to nature's patterns of movement and development, speak the language of dialectics whether willingly or unwillingly. Even those whose personal outlook is at variance with dialectical philosophy acknowledge this in their own way. Thus Heisenberg states that inquiry into the foundations of the quantum theory, especially as carried out by Bohr, has features reminiscent of Hegelian philosophy. (1) And, to quote Pauli, "dialectics is that mutual game of two opponents which is typical of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics." (2) Bohr himself, while discussing the quantum theory, speaks of "profoundly true statements the opposites of which likewise contain deep verities." (3)

H Fröhlich, Eugene Guth

Temur Z. Kalanov

The irrefutable proof of the incorrectness of the de Broglie hypothesis (postulate) and the Schrödinger equation (postulate) is proposed. The correct methodological basis for the proof is the unity of formal logic and rational dialectics. The unity of formal logic and rational dialectics is the only correct criterion of truth. The proof leads to the following irrefutable conclusion: the de Broglie hypothesis (idea, postulate) and the Schrödinger equation (idea, postulate) are gross errors in mathematics, physics, formal logic and dialectics. This conclusion is based on the following statements: (1) from the point of view of Euler’s formula and the Maclaurin series, the definition of the wave function has neither physical nor mathematical meaning; (2) the substitution of the quantities of energy and momentum, which characterize a quantum (microscopic) particle, into the relationship that describes a macroscopic radiation wave is a gross formal-logical error, because a quantum particle and macroscopic radiation are not identical material objects; (3) in the dialectical and formal-logical points of view, a free classical particle is not identical to a free quantum particle: these particles are non-identical material objects. Therefore, the substitution of the quantities of energy and momentum, characterizing a quantum (microscopic) particle, into the classical relationship that describes the energy and momentum of a classical particle is a gross formal-logical error; (4) in the point of view of formal logic, the concepts of "corpuscular aspect" and "wave aspect" are contradictory (mutually exclusive) concepts. (The concepts of "particle" and "wave" are defined by different essential features of material objects). Therefore, the de Broglie wave function and the Schrödinger wave equation represent a violation of the formal-logical law of lack (absence) of contradiction. This means that the concept of corpuscular-wave dualism is erroneous; (5) The de Broglie wave function and the Schrödinger equation represent a gross dialectical error, because the dimensionless wave function contradicts to the dialectical concept of the measure of a material object (i.e. the dimensionless wave function does not have the qualitative determinacy of a material object, does not characterize the properties of a material object). Therefore, the de Broglie wave function and the Schrödinger equation are meaningless relationships.

Ronald F. Peierls

George Frederick James Temple

Miguel Levy

This article presents a dialectical-materialist interpretation of quantum decoherence, arguing that the transition from quantum to classical behavior emerges from the intrinsic contradictions of quantum systems and their unavoidable interaction with the environment. Beginning with a critique of the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox, the author contends that entangled particles do not possess independent physical properties but instead form unified systems whose characteristics only become determinate through measurement. Decoherence is explained as the process by which environmental interactions destroy quantum superpositions, thereby resolving contradictions and producing classical definiteness. Rejecting the notion that quantum systems can be understood in isolation, the article emphasizes their embeddedness in a broader material totality, where measurement is an active, physically transformative process rather than passive observation. In this framework, quantum reality is inherently dialectical, characterized by opposing tendencies—such as position and momentum—that cannot coexist in determinate form and whose resolution drives the emergence of observable phenomena.