Scientific theories, at least in physics, are mathematical. It is a dangerous thing to try to say what the math really "means." And when we think we know what it "means," it is more dangerous still to extrapolate that "meaning" into other areas of life. But we do it all the time. This play extrapolates concepts from quantum mechanics onto the relationship between Bohr and Heisenberg. And it does so in a thought-provoking way.
If the uncertainty principle says that position and momentum are uncertain, what about history? Is it possible to know for certain what happened at that meeting in Copenhagen in September 1941?
What about uncertainty in our thoughts? "There is not one single thought or intention of any sort that can ever be precisely established...[T]his uncertainty in our thinking is also fundamental to the nature of the world." (postscript, p. 99)
If the complementarity principle says that an observation is required for something to be made "real," does that also apply to our thoughts?
Bohr [as Heisenberg is standing on the doorstep about to enter Bohr's house for the fateful dinner and conversation]: Until this instant his [Heisenberg's] thoughts have been everywhere and nowhere, like unobserved particles, through all the slits in the diffraction grating simultaneously. Now they have to be observed and specified. (p. 86)
I know that my own thoughts don't seem to coalesce until I either speak them or write them down. (It is one reason that I blog.) I have heard others say the same about their thoughts. In some sense our thoughts are not "real" until either spoken or written down, i.e. observed and specified.
A major theme of the play is what quantum mechanics says about humans. It may surprise you:
Bohr: We put man back at the centre of the universe. (p. 71)
Over the centuries, science has put humans farther and farther from the center of the universe. Science has made humans less and less special, as compared to the rest of nature. Bohr's point, at least in the playwright's words, is that since quantum mechanics (at least in the Copenhagen Interpretation) requires an observer to create reality, humans are pretty darn special.
Two pages after the above quote, we have this humorous exchange:
Bohr: Not to criticize, Margrethe, but you have a tendency to make everything personal.
Margrethe: Because everything is personal! You've just read us all a lecture about it!
As usual, I think it best to let the woman have the last word.
3 comments:
Dad, I think you're going to be able to run that discussion when you get there!
Its interesting to note that most of the Copenhagen Interpretation is considered conjecture, not absolute fact. There are some who believe that there is a deterministic mechanism behind all of this that no one understands, yet. Einstein himself profoundly disagreed that nature was probabilisitc, prompting the famous quote "God does not play dice with the universe". There is an interesting discussion of this, and of the difference between causal and predictive determinism Here
However, I think that strays from what the play is attempting to convey; the drama of the situation, and the uncertainty inherent in the universe. All in all, I think this is a fascinating subject, and I'll be interested to see what you think once you've been to the discussion.
Brian, you are right. The play is about Bohr and Heisenberg, and their view of quantum mechanics, commonly called the Copenhagen Interpretation. But there are other views about quantum mechanics, most famously Einstein's, as you describe.
The link you provided was most interesting. It links to an excellent article by a Ray Bradley about Einstein's views of quantum mechanics. I had not heard of Ray Bradley, so I poked around to see what I could find out about him. Turns out he is retired college professor, but not a professor of physics as you might expect. He is a professor of philosophy!
Not only that, but he is a New Zealander. Emily, I know you are studying Maori culture while you are presently in New Zealand. While poking around, I found an opinion column that Ray Bradley wrote in 2005 about Maori culture and creation myths: Charlatan tohunga alive and kicking.
Back to quantum mechanics, for more background on the development of quantum mechanics see: Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science. Brian, this was the book that you were given upon your induction into Sigma Pi Sigma. This book helped me get more out of the play Copenhagen.
Dad, the article you posted a link to was really interesting! It's pretty much what my entire class has been about, except that my class has been more from the Maori side of view and the article is from the Western science point of view. As for the references to "charlatan tohunga" (tohunga are experts in a specific field of Maori knowledge), there was an act called the Tohunga Suppression Act that was allegedly to protect people from the "charlatan tohunga" but the act ended up having devastating effects on Maori rights to practice their own culture, so the act was repealed quite a while ago. Remind me when you come, I have some pretty good readings and things from my class that you might find interesting. I don't think any of that had anything to do with Copenhagen, but oh well.
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