Niels Bohr
Pioneer of quantum theory and atomic structure
Most quoted
"The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And complementarity, by the way, is not a new invention of mine. It is, in fact, as old as language itself. We have to be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing connections."
— from Interview with Aage Petersen
"The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And the fact that this reality is not accessible to us in the same way as material reality makes it no less real."
— from Attributed
"The very nature of the quantum theory thus forces us to regard the space-time co-ordination and the claim of causality, the union of which characterizes the classical theories, as complementary but exclusive features of the description, symbolizing the idealization of observation and definition respectively."
— from Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature, 1929
All quotes by Niels Bohr (768)
The aim of science is to reduce the complex to the simple.
The problem of observation in atomic physics is not just a practical difficulty, but a fundamental one.
The quantum postulate implies that any observation of atomic phenomena will involve an interaction with the agency of observation.
The very nature of quantum phenomena forces us to use concepts which are mutually exclusive.
The atomic world is not a miniature of the macroscopic world.
The task of science is to make sense of the world, not to describe it as it is.
The concept of causality is not applicable in the atomic domain in the same way as in classical physics.
The role of the observer in quantum mechanics is not merely passive.
The development of atomic physics has taught us that the ordinary use of language is inadequate for describing atomic phenomena.
The complementarity principle is a logical extension of the scientific method.
The atomic theory has led to a revision of our fundamental concepts.
The progress of science depends on our ability to ask the right questions.
The very definition of a phenomenon depends on the experimental arrangement.
The atomic world is a world of possibilities, not certainties.
The limitations of our language are the limitations of our world.
The concept of truth itself is subject to revision in the light of new experience.
The atomic theory is not a picture of reality, but a tool for understanding it.
The task of science is to make the invisible visible.
The quantum of action is a fundamental constant of nature.
The atomic world is a world of wholeness, where parts cannot be separated from the whole.
Contemporaries of Niels Bohr
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Niels Bohr (1885–1962).