Murdoch describes the historical background of the physics from which Bohr's ideas grew; he traces the origins of his idea of complementarity and discusses its meaning and significance. Special emphasis is placed on the contrasting views of Einstein, and the great debate between Bohr and Einstein is thoroughly examined. Bohr's philosophy is revealed as being much more subtle, and more interesting than is generally acknowledged.
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Editorial Reviews
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"The breadth and clarity of Murdoch's analysis makes this book a worthy addition to Bohrian scholarship." New Scientist
"...an excellent book on Bohr's philosophy of physics and its relevance for the present debate." Jan Faye, ISIS
"...an excellent book on Bohr's philosophy of physics and its relevance for the present debate." Jan Faye, ISIS
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive but difficult,
By
This review is from: Niels Bohr's Philosophy of Physics (Paperback)
As a nuclear engineering graduate student, I expected to understand most of what was discussed, but the book is highly technical and really requires a further understanding of quantum mechanics. If you haven't had an introduction to modern physics course, or have equivalent knowledge, you won't be able to appreciate the philosophical points. With some knowledge, an understanding of the original philosophical considerations of quantum mechanics is gained by reading this book. Additionally, expect this book to take a very long time to read--I took more than four months to finish and I can usually read even technical things of comparable length in less than a week.Finally, I like the portrait of Bohr that is presented in this book. Usually he is shown as extremely abstracted and highly intelligent, but largely as a caring person--more the human side. This book helped me understand the level of his genius without showing him as inhumanly scientific or emphasizing his assistance to other scientists during the WWII.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sophisticated Philosophy and Physics,
By
This review is from: Niels Bohr's Philosophy of Physics (Paperback)
This book is concerned with the philosophical interpretation of quantum physics that Bohr developed over his career (and thus, over the development of quantum physics), but there are fairly explicit physical arguments (Gedanken experiments) that clearly expose the issues at hand. This is very appropriate for Bohr's work.The presentation of Bohr's argument with Einstein on the time/energy uncertainty inequality is the clearest I have ever seen. For people interested in the meaning of quantum mechanics: You will need to know the quantum physics. There are also a couple of very detailed chapters on other philosophers' views of Bohr and quantum physics, including fairly recent commentary.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Niels Bohr's theory of complementarity was an attempt to solve the enormous problems of interpretation - especially the problem of wave-particle duality - that beset the quantum theory in the mid-twenties. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
exact simultaneous position, strong meaning condition, weak meaning condition, indefinability thesis, meaningful applicability, meaningful ascribability, quantum logic interpretation, microphysical objects, ontic correlations, ontic interpretation, pragmatist strain, strong locality condition, experimental statements, different state vectors, exact momentum, macrophysical objects, realistic significance, classical physical concepts, spatial reference frame, realist construal, projection postulate, mixed ensemble, quantum postulate, appropriate measuring instrument, assertibility conditions Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Clerk Maxwell, Solvay Conference, Dirac Jordan, Planck-Einstein-de Broglie, Rayleigh Jeans New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Niels Bohr's theory of complementarity was an attempt to solve the enormous problems of interpretation - especially the problem of wave-particle duality - that beset the quantum theory in the mid-twenties. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
exact simultaneous position, strong meaning condition, weak meaning condition, indefinability thesis, meaningful applicability, meaningful ascribability, quantum logic interpretation, microphysical objects, ontic correlations, ontic interpretation, pragmatist strain, strong locality condition, experimental statements, different state vectors, exact momentum, macrophysical objects, realistic significance, classical physical concepts, spatial reference frame, realist construal, projection postulate, mixed ensemble, quantum postulate, appropriate measuring instrument, assertibility conditions Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Clerk Maxwell, Solvay Conference, Dirac Jordan, Planck-Einstein-de Broglie, Rayleigh Jeans New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 65
books:
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21
books
cite this book:
See all 21 books citing this book
- Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature: Four Essays, With an Introductory Survey by Niels Bohr on 4 pages
- The Logic of Scientific Discovery (Routledge Classics) by Karl Popper in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Albert Einstein (Orbitas) (Spanish Edition) by Carl Seelig in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Frontiers of Science and Philosophy (CPS publications in philosophy of science) by Robert G. Colodny in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Quantum Theory (Dover Books on Physics) by David Bohm in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 65 books this book cites
- Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism: Philosophical Responses to Quantum Mechanics (Critical Realism: Interventions) by Christopher Norris on 5 pages
- Atoms, Metaphors and Paradoxes: Niels Bohr and the Construction of a New Physics by Sandro Petruccioli on page 180, and Back Matter
- The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Science (Blackwell Philosophy Guides) by Peter Machamer on page 225
- Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers (Routledge World Reference) by Stuart Brown on page 82
- Philosophy of Science, Logic and Mathematics in the 20th Century: Routledge History of Philosophy Volume 9 by Stuart G. Shanker on page 234
See all 21 books citing this book
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