quantum philosophy the flight from reason in science

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1、QuantumPhilosophy:TheFlightfromReasoninScienceSheldonGoldsteinDepartmentofMathematics,RutgersUniversityNewBrunswick,NJ08903January10,1996Iwanttodiscussaratherdelicatematterconcerninganotoriouslydifficultsubject,thefoundationsofquantummechanics,asubjectthat

2、hasinspiredagreatmanypeculiarproclamations.Someexamples:...theideaofanobjectiverealworldwhosesmallestpartsexistobjectivelyinthesamesenseasstonesortreesexist,independentlyofwhetherornotweobservethem...isimpossible...[1]andWecannolongerspeakofthebehaviorof

3、theparticleindependentlyoftheprocessofobservation.Asafinalconsequence,thenaturallawsformulatedmathematicallyinquantumtheorynolongerdealwiththeelementaryparti-clesthemselvesbutwithourknowledgeofthem.NorisitanylongerpossiblearXiv:quant-ph/9601007v110Jan1996

4、toaskwhetherornottheseparticlesexistinspaceandtimeobjectively......Sciencenolongerconfrontsnatureasanobjectiveobserver,butseesitselfasanactorinthisinterplaybetweenmanandnature.Thescientificmethodofanalysing,explaining,andclassifyinghasbecomeconsciousofits

5、limitations...methodandobjectcannolongerbeseparated.[2]andAcompleteelucidationofoneandthesameobjectmayrequirediversepointsofviewwhichdefyauniquedescription.Indeed,strictlyspeaking,theconsciousanalysisofanyconceptstandsinarelationofexclusiontoitsimmediate

6、application.[3]1Thislastquotationisanexpressionofwhathastraditionallybeencalledcomplement-arity—butwhatmightnowadaysbecalledmultiphysicalism.Formypurposeshere,whatismostrelevantaboutthesesentimentsisthattheywereexpressed,notbylaypopularizersofmodernscien

7、ce,norbyitspostmoderncritics,butbyWernerHeisenbergandNielsBohr,thetwophysicistsmostresponsible,withthepossibleexceptionofErwinSchr¨odinger,forthecreationofquantumtheory.Itdoesnotrequiregreatimaginationtosuggestthatthereislittleinthesesentimentswithwhicha

8、postmodernistwouldbeinclinedtodisagreeandmuchthatheorshewouldbehappytoregardascompellingsupportforthepostmodernenterprise(see,forexample,[4,5,6]).The“quantumphilosophy”expressedbysuchstatementsispartoftheCopenhageninterpre