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Over the last ten years, elements of the formalism of quantum
mechanics have been successfully applied beyond physics in areas
such as psychology (especially cognition), economics and finance
(especially in the formalization of so-called ‘decision
making’), political science, and molecular biology. An important
stream of work along these lines, commonly under the heading of
quantum-like modeling, has been published in well regarded
scientific journals, and major publishers have devoted entire
books to the topic. This Festschrift honors a key figure in
this field of research: Andrei Khrennikov, who made momentous
contributions to it and to quantum foundations
themselves. While honoring these contributions, and in
order to do so, this Festschrift orients its reader toward the
future rather than focusing on the past: it addresses future
challenges and establishes the way forward in both domains,
quantum-like modeling and quantum foundations. A while
ago, in response to the developments of using the quantum formalism
outside of quantum mechanics, the eminent quantum physicist Anton
Zeilinger said, ‘Why should it be precisely the quantum mechanics
formalism? Maybe its generalization would be more adequate…’
This volume responds to this statement by both showing the reasons
for the continuing importance of quantum formalism and yet
also considering pathways to such generalizations.
Khrennikov’s work has been indispensable
in establishing the great promise of quantum and
quantum-like thinking in shaping the future of scientific research
across the disciplines.
The book considers foundational thinking in quantum theory,
focusing on the role the fundamental principles and principle
thinking there, including thinking that leads to the invention of
new principles, which is, the book contends, one of the ultimate
achievements of theoretical thinking in physics and beyond. The
focus on principles, prominent during the rise and in the immediate
aftermath of quantum theory, has been uncommon in more recent
discussions and debates concerning it. The book argues, however,
that exploring the fundamental principles and principle thinking is
exceptionally helpful in addressing the key issues at stake in
quantum foundations and the seemingly interminable debates
concerning them. Principle thinking led to major breakthroughs
throughout the history of quantum theory, beginning with the old
quantum theory and quantum mechanics, the first definitive quantum
theory, which it remains within its proper (nonrelativistic) scope.
It has, the book also argues, been equally important in quantum
field theory, which has been the frontier of quantum theory for
quite a while now, and more recently, in quantum information
theory, where principle thinking was given new prominence. The
approach allows the book to develop a new understanding of both the
history and philosophy of quantum theory, from Planck's quantum to
the Higgs boson, and beyond, and of the thinking the key founding
figures, such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schroedinger, and
Dirac, as well as some among more recent theorists. The book also
extensively considers the nature of quantum probability, and
contains a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, "the
statistical Copenhagen interpretation." Overall, the book's
argument is guided by what Heisenberg called "the spirit of
Copenhagen," which is defined by three great divorces from the
preceding foundational thinking in physics-reality from realism,
probability from causality, and locality from relativity-and
defined the fundamental principles of quantum theory accordingly.
Reading Bohr: Physics and Philosophy offers a new perspective on
Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics as
complementarity, and on the relationships between physics and
philosophy in Bohr's work, which has had momentous significance for
our understanding of quantum theory and of the nature of knowledge
in general. Philosophically, the book reassesses Bohr's place in
the Western philosophical tradition, from Kant and Hegel on.
Physically, it reconsiders the main issues at stake in the
Bohr-Einstein confrontation and in the ongoing debates concerning
quantum physics. It also devotes greater attention than in most
commentaries on Bohr to the key developments and transformations of
his thinking concerning complementarity.
Most significant among them were those that occurred, first, under
the impact of Bohr's exchanges with Einstein and, second, under the
impact of developments in quantum theory itself, both quantum
mechanics and quantum field theory. The importance of quantum field
theory for Bohr's thinking has not been adequately addressed in the
literature on Bohr, to the considerable detriment to our
understanding of the history of quantum physics. Filling this
lacuna is one of the main contributions of the book, which also
enables us to show why quantum field theory compels us to move
beyond Bohr without, however, simply leaving him behind.
This book offers an exploration of the relationships between
epistemology and probability in the work of Niels Bohr, Werner
Heisenberg, and Erwin Schro- ] dinger, and in quantum mechanics and
in modern physics as a whole. It also considers the implications of
these relationships and of quantum theory itself for our
understanding of the nature of human thinking and knowledge in
general, or the ''epistemological lesson of quantum mechanics, ''
as Bohr liked 1 to say. These implications are radical and
controversial. While they have been seen as scientifically
productive and intellectually liberating to some, Bohr and
Heisenberg among them, they have been troublesome to many others,
such as Schro] dinger and, most prominently, Albert Einstein.
Einstein famously refused to believe that God would resort to
playing dice or rather to playing with nature in the way quantum
mechanics appeared to suggest, which is indeed quite different from
playing dice. According to his later (sometime around 1953) remark,
a lesser known or commented upon but arguably more important one:
''That the Lord should play dice], all right; but that He should
gamble according to definite rules i. e., according to the rules of
quantum mechanics, rather than 2 by merely throwing dice], that is
beyond me. '' Although Einstein's invocation of God is taken
literally sometimes, he was not talking about God but about the way
nature works. Bohr's reply on an earlier occasion to Einstein's
question 1 Cf."
This book presents quantum theory as a theory based on new
relationships among matter, thought, and experimental technology,
as against those previously found in physics, relationships that
also redefine those between mathematics and physics in quantum
theory. The argument of the book is based on its title concept,
reality without realism (RWR), and in the corresponding view, the
RWR view, of quantum theory. The book considers, from this
perspective, the thinking of Bohr, Heisenberg, Schroedinger, and
Dirac, with the aim of bringing together the philosophy and history
of quantum theory. With quantum theory, the book argues, the
architecture of thought in theoretical physics was radically
changed by the irreducible role of experimental technology in the
constitution of physical phenomena, accordingly, no longer defined
independently by matter alone, as they were in classical physics or
relativity. Or so it appeared. For, quantum theory, the book
further argues, made us realize that experimental technology,
beginning with that of our bodies, irreducibly shapes all physical
phenomena, and thus makes us rethink the relationships among
matter, thought, and technology in all of physics.
This book offers an exploration of the relationships between
epistemology and probability in the work of Niels Bohr, Werner
Heisenberg, and Erwin Schro- ] dinger, and in quantum mechanics and
in modern physics as a whole. It also considers the implications of
these relationships and of quantum theory itself for our
understanding of the nature of human thinking and knowledge in
general, or the ''epistemological lesson of quantum mechanics, ''
as Bohr liked 1 to say. These implications are radical and
controversial. While they have been seen as scientifically
productive and intellectually liberating to some, Bohr and
Heisenberg among them, they have been troublesome to many others,
such as Schro] dinger and, most prominently, Albert Einstein.
Einstein famously refused to believe that God would resort to
playing dice or rather to playing with nature in the way quantum
mechanics appeared to suggest, which is indeed quite different from
playing dice. According to his later (sometime around 1953) remark,
a lesser known or commented upon but arguably more important one:
''That the Lord should play dice], all right; but that He should
gamble according to definite rules i. e., according to the rules of
quantum mechanics, rather than 2 by merely throwing dice], that is
beyond me. '' Although Einstein's invocation of God is taken
literally sometimes, he was not talking about God but about the way
nature works. Bohr's reply on an earlier occasion to Einstein's
question 1 Cf."
This book offers a discussion of Niels Bohr's conception of
"complementarity," arguably his greatest contribution to physics
and philosophy. By tracing Bohr's work from his 1913 atomic theory
to the introduction and then refinement of the idea of
complementarity, and by explicating different meanings of
"complementarity" in Bohr and the relationships between it and
Bohr's other concepts, the book aims to offer a contained and
accessible, and yet sufficiently comprehensive account of Bohr's
work on complementarity and its significance.
Reading Bohr: Physics and Philosophy offers a new perspective on
Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics as
complementarity, and on the relationships between physics and
philosophy in Bohr's work, which has had momentous significance for
our understanding of quantum theory and of the nature of knowledge
in general. Philosophically, the book reassesses Bohr's place in
the Western philosophical tradition, from Kant and Hegel on.
Physically, it reconsiders the main issues at stake in the
Bohr-Einstein confrontation and in the ongoing debates concerning
quantum physics. It also devotes greater attention than in most
commentaries on Bohr to the key developments and transformations of
his thinking concerning complementarity.
Most significant among them were those that occurred, first, under
the impact of Bohr's exchanges with Einstein and, second, under the
impact of developments in quantum theory itself, both quantum
mechanics and quantum field theory. The importance of quantum field
theory for Bohr's thinking has not been adequately addressed in the
literature on Bohr, to the considerable detriment to our
understanding of the history of quantum physics. Filling this
lacuna is one of the main contributions of the book, which also
enables us to show why quantum field theory compels us to move
beyond Bohr without, however, simply leaving him behind.
This book presents quantum theory as a theory based on new
relationships among matter, thought, and experimental technology,
as against those previously found in physics, relationships that
also redefine those between mathematics and physics in quantum
theory. The argument of the book is based on its title concept,
reality without realism (RWR), and in the corresponding view, the
RWR view, of quantum theory. The book considers, from this
perspective, the thinking of Bohr, Heisenberg, Schroedinger, and
Dirac, with the aim of bringing together the philosophy and history
of quantum theory. With quantum theory, the book argues, the
architecture of thought in theoretical physics was radically
changed by the irreducible role of experimental technology in the
constitution of physical phenomena, accordingly, no longer defined
independently by matter alone, as they were in classical physics or
relativity. Or so it appeared. For, quantum theory, the book
further argues, made us realize that experimental technology,
beginning with that of our bodies, irreducibly shapes all physical
phenomena, and thus makes us rethink the relationships among
matter, thought, and technology in all of physics.
The book considers foundational thinking in quantum theory,
focusing on the role the fundamental principles and principle
thinking there, including thinking that leads to the invention of
new principles, which is, the book contends, one of the ultimate
achievements of theoretical thinking in physics and beyond. The
focus on principles, prominent during the rise and in the immediate
aftermath of quantum theory, has been uncommon in more recent
discussions and debates concerning it. The book argues, however,
that exploring the fundamental principles and principle thinking is
exceptionally helpful in addressing the key issues at stake in
quantum foundations and the seemingly interminable debates
concerning them. Principle thinking led to major breakthroughs
throughout the history of quantum theory, beginning with the old
quantum theory and quantum mechanics, the first definitive quantum
theory, which it remains within its proper (nonrelativistic) scope.
It has, the book also argues, been equally important in quantum
field theory, which has been the frontier of quantum theory for
quite a while now, and more recently, in quantum information
theory, where principle thinking was given new prominence. The
approach allows the book to develop a new understanding of both the
history and philosophy of quantum theory, from Planck's quantum to
the Higgs boson, and beyond, and of the thinking the key founding
figures, such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schroedinger, and
Dirac, as well as some among more recent theorists. The book also
extensively considers the nature of quantum probability, and
contains a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, "the
statistical Copenhagen interpretation." Overall, the book's
argument is guided by what Heisenberg called "the spirit of
Copenhagen," which is defined by three great divorces from the
preceding foundational thinking in physics-reality from realism,
probability from causality, and locality from relativity-and
defined the fundamental principles of quantum theory accordingly.
Mathematics, Science, and Postclassical Theory is a unique
collection of essays dealing with the intersections between science
and mathematics and the radical reconceptions of knowledge,
language, proof, truth, and reality currently emerging from
poststructuralist literary theory, constructivist history and
sociology of science, and related work in contemporary philosophy.
Featuring a distinguished group of international contributors, this
volume engages themes and issues central to current theoretical
debates in virtually all disciplines: agency, causality,
determinacy, representation, and the social dynamics of knowledge.
In a substantive introductory essay, the editors explain the notion
of "postclassical theory" and discuss the significance of ideas
such as emergence and undecidability in current work in and on
science and mathematics. Other essays include a witty examination
of the relations among mathematical thinking, writing, and the
technologies of virtual reality; an essay that reconstructs the
conceptual practices that led to a crucial mathematical
discovery-or construction-in the 19th century; a discussion of the
implications of Bohr's complementarity principle for classical
ideas of reality; an examination of scientific laboratories as
"hybrid" communities of humans and nonhumans; an analysis of
metaphors of control, purpose, and necessity in contemporary
biology; an exploration of truth and lies, and the play of words
and numbers in Shakespeare, Frege, Wittgenstein, and Beckett; and a
final chapter on recent engagements, or nonengagements, between
rationalist/realist philosophy of science and contemporary science
studies. Contributors. Malcolm Ashmore, Michel Callon, Owen
Flanagan, John Law, Susan Oyama, Andrew Pickering, Arkady
Plotnitsky, Brian Rotman, Barbara Herrnstein Smith, John Vignaux
Smyth, E. Roy Weintraub
Many commentators have remarked in passing on the resonance between
deconstructionist theory and certain ideas of quantum physics. In
this book, Arkady Plotnitsky rigorously elaborates the similarities
and differences between the two by focusing on the work of Niels
Bohr and Jacques Derrida. In detailed considerations of Bohr's
notion of complementarity and his debates with Einstein, and in
analysis of Derrida's work via Georges Bataille's concept of
general economy, Plotnitsky demonstrates the value of exploring
these theories in relation to each other.
Bohr's term complementarity describes a situation, unavoidable in
quantum physics, in which two theories thought to be mutually
exclusive are required to explain a single phenomenon. Light, for
example, can only be explained as both wave and particle, but no
synthesis of the two is possible. This theoretical transformation
is then examined in relation to the ways that Derrida sets his work
against or outside of Hegel, also resisting a similar kind of
synthesis and enacting a transformation of its own.
Though concerned primarily with Bohr and Derrida, Plotnitsky also
considers a wide range of anti-epistemological endeavors including
the work of Nietzsche, Bataille, and the mathematician Kurt Godel.
Under the rubric of complementarity he develops a theoretical
framework that raises new possiblilities for students and scholars
of literary theory, philosophy, and philosophy of science.
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