I have always regarded Bohr's saying as applying not only to just quantum
physics, but to physics at the macro and cosmological level as well. And
beyond that to all scince. If this be "instrumentalism," whatever that is,
so be it.
Burgy
>From: Jonathan Clarke <jdac@alphalink.com.au>
>To: Steve Bishop <stevebishop_uk@hotmail.com>
>CC: hoss_radbourne@hotmail.com, asa@calvin.edu
>Subject: Re: Science and religion: two ways of knowing
>Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2002 08:30:21 +1000
>
>This seems close to instrumentalism. It might be OK at the quatuum level,
>but
>it leads to trouble above that. Copernicus's book was put on the index
>until
>censored because he denied instrumentalism and actually suggested that his
>theory might be real. The 5 places where the Starry messenger was censored
>were
>all where he spoke of the reality of his theory. Galileo also got into
>trouble
>for saying the same.
>
>Jon
>
>Steve Bishop wrote:
>
> > The Bohr quote:
> >
> > "There is no quantum world. There is only an abstract quantum physical
> > description. It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find
>out
> > how nature is. Physics concerns what we can say about Nature."
> >
> > Can be found in the following:
> >
> > A. Petersen "The philosophy of Niels Bohr" The Bulletin of the Atomic
> > Scientists, September 1963, p. 8
> > (http://tonno.tesre.bo.cnr.it/~foschini/wisdom.html)
> >
> > Heinz R. Pagels,The Cosmic Code, p. 85
> >
> > Euan Squires, The Mystery of the Quantum World, Bristol: Institute of
> > Physics Publishing, 1994, p. 117-8.
> >
> > However, I don't know where the original quote came from. The original
> > context it seems was a defence of the Copenhagen Interpretation and
> > anti-realism.
> >
> > Steve
> >
> > >Shuan wrote: "A fellow named Weinberg wrote it somewhere, but I can't
>track
> > >it down). Science is not the search for all truth, just the truth about
>the
> > >physical world."
> > >
> > >My notes say it was Neils Bohr, and the quotation is "It is wrong to
>think
> > >that the task of physics is to find out how nature is. Physics concerns
> > >only
> > >what we can SAY about nature."
> > >
> > >At one time I had a citation on this but it has been misplaced. Does
>anyone
> > >have it?
> > >
> > >Burgy
> > >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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>
Hoss (aka Burgy)
www.burgy.50megs.com
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