Max Born
Made fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics, particularly the Born rule for calculating probabilities.
Most quoted
"It is natural that a man should consider the work of his hands or his brain to be useful and important. Therefore nobody will object to an ardent experimentalist boasting of his measurements and rather looking down on the 'paper and ink' physics of his theoretical friend, who on his part is proud of his lofty ideas and despises the dirty fingers of the other."
— from Experiment and Theory in Physics, 1943
"The human race has today the means for annihilating itself—either in a fit of complete lunacy, i.e., in a big war, by a brief fit of destruction, or by a careless handling of atomic technology, through a slow process of poisoning and of deterioration in its genetic structure."
— from Letter, 1957
"The human race has today the means for annihilating itself—either in a fit of complete lunacy, i.e., in a big war, by a brief fit of destruction, or by careless handling of atomic technology, through a slow process of poisoning and of deterioration in its genetic structure."
— from Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge, 1957
All quotes by Max Born (371)
The value of a theory is not determined by its beauty, but by its agreement with experiment.
I am convinced that the present crisis in physics is due to the fact that we are trying to describe nature in terms of concepts which are too narrow.
The idea of an objective reality independent of the observer is an illusion.
Science is a human endeavor, and like all human endeavors, it is fallible.
The greatest discovery of all time is that the universe is comprehensible.
The ultimate goal of science is not to understand the universe, but to understand ourselves.
The quantum theory has forced us to give up the idea of a deterministic universe.
The progress of science depends on the freedom of thought and expression.
The scientist is not a detached observer, but an active participant in the process of discovery.
The most important thing in science is not to get the right answer, but to ask the right question.
The world is not a collection of objects, but a network of relationships.
The human mind is not a passive receiver of information, but an active constructor of reality.
The concept of causality is not a fundamental principle of nature, but a useful approximation.
The role of the scientist is not to prove theories, but to test them.
The greatest challenge facing humanity is to reconcile science with ethics.
The progress of science is not a linear march towards truth, but a winding path of discovery and revision.
The universe is not a machine, but a living organism.
The human spirit is not bound by the laws of physics, but transcends them.
The pursuit of knowledge is not an end in itself, but a means to a greater understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe.
The quantum theory is a revolutionary theory, but it is not a complete theory.
Contemporaries of Max Born
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Max Born (1882–1970).