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The Genesis of Identity and Reality (1908) through a Letter from Emile Meyerson to His Sister

Eva Telkes-Klein

Published Jan 1, 2010• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Jacques Solomon (1908-1942) was a theoretical physicist whose career was short and hectic. He was Paul Langevin’s son-in-law and took part with him in the sudden surge of rationalism during the 30s. He was a Marxist activist, interested in dialectical materialism and its application in scientific research. He took part in the debate over the interpretation of quantum mechanics, whose assimilation in France was slow and difficult. He was trained at the Copenhagen school, but was nevertheless an uncompromising materialist who tried to conciliate several schools of thought, in order to give an answer to the difficult problem of indeterminism.

DOI
10.3917/rhs.631.0247

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Jacques Solomon (1908-1942) was a theoretical physicist whose career was short and hectic. He was Paul Langevin’s son-in-law and took part with him in the sudden surge of rationalism during the 30s. He was a Marxist activist, interested in dialectical materialism and its application in scientific research. He took part in the debate over the interpretation of quantum mechanics, whose assimilation in France was slow and difficult. He was trained at the Copenhagen school, but was nevertheless an uncompromising materialist who tried to conciliate several schools of thought, in order to give an answer to the difficult problem of indeterminism.
Jacques Solomon (1908-1942) was a theoretical physicist whose career was short and hectic. He was Paul Langevin’s son-in-law and took part with him in the sudden surge of rationalism during the 30s. He was a Marxist activist, interested in dialectical materialism and its application in scientific research. He took part in the debate over the interpretation of quantum mechanics, whose assimilation in France was slow and difficult. He was trained at the Copenhagen school, but was nevertheless an uncompromising materialist who tried to conciliate several schools of thought, in order to give an answer to the difficult problem of indeterminism.
Résumé Jacques Solomon (1908-1942) fut un physicien théoricien dont la carrière fut brève mais dense. Gendre de Paul Langevin, il participa à ses côtés au sursaut rationaliste des années 1930 et fut un militant marxiste qui s?intéressa de près à l'application du matérialisme dialectique dans le domaine de la recherche scientifique. Il prit part au débat engendré par l'interprétation de la théorie quantique, dont l'assimilation en France fut lente et difficile. Formé à l'école de Copenhague mais matérialiste convaincu, il tenta de concilier plusieurs courants de pensée afin d?apporter une réponse au difficile problème de l'indéterminisme.
This paper examines the resurgence of interest in the interpretation of quantum theory which occurred in the late 1940s and 1950s, and seeks to uncover its political origins in a perceived clash between the post-War Stalinist interpretation of dialectical materialism and the `Copenhagen' interpretation of quantum mechanics. In examining the debate that followed this renewed interest, certain issues concerning scientific argument are touched upon. These relate particularly to the progress of scientific dispute in a context in which no appeal to experiment can be made. This unusual state of affairs raises questions as to whether such disputes can be resolved, and if so, how. In order to explore these questions, the outcomes of the debates in the USSR and in the West are discussed.
Abstract A previously unpublished manuscript by the physicist Max Born, one of the creators of quantum mechanics, is presented. The manuscript was addressed to Born's colleague Léon Rosenfeld and criticized his attempt to show that Niels Bohr's doctrine of complementarity was an example of dialectical materialism and as such in perfect agreement with Marxist philosophy. Besides illustrating the deep political divisions among defenders of the ‘Copenhagen spirit’ in quantum physics, the manuscript is also a valuable source illuminating Max Born's philosophical position about scientific methodology and epistemology.
This is the story of David Bohm's hitherto unpublished notes, uncovered from a series of lectures given in Israel in 1957 to a group of Marxist physicists from the Hashomer Hatsair (young guard) movement. The notes explore quantum theory and dialectical materialism, as well as shedding light on the intellectual and emotional resources of his persistent rebellion against orthodoxies in science. The discussion places his lectures notes in a wider historical, scientific, and philosophical context and traces Bohm's intellectual development from an early attempt to better understand the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics to his elaboration of an alternative causal interpretation based on the notion of "hidden variables." As the lecture notes strikingly illustrate, dialectical materialism played a fundamental role for the further development of his understanding of quantum mechanics. Bohm placed the notions of infinity of nature and the unity of opposites in the center of his natural philosophy, drawing from the works of Hegel, Marx, Engels, and Lenin. The authors also examine Bohm's legacy in the history of quantum mechanics and his contribution to preparing the "second quantum revolution." Bohm's engagement with dialectical materialism and his role as a dissident to the orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics were pivotal in bringing about the novel insights and technologies associated with this second quantum revolution. During the 1960s, Bohm developed a growing interest in the nature of consciousness and engaged with the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. In spite of a seemingly fundamental break with earlier philosophical positions, this new phase in Bohm's intellectual odyssey was not completely unrelated to his fascination with and deep understanding of Hegel's philosophy, which the lecture notes amply document for the first time.