Erwin Schrodinger — "A theoretical science, like any other human activity, is entirely a matter of ta…"
A theoretical science, like any other human activity, is entirely a matter of taste.
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More from Erwin Schrodinger
"The world is a stage, and we are merely players."
"The greatest change will be in the thinking habits of the human race. It will learn to look at things in a new way. Quantum theory will force it to do so."
"The world is not a static place, but is constantly changing and evolving."
"The only real valuable thing is intuition."
"The world is full of wonders, and it is our task to explore them."
About Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961)
Austrian physicist who shared the 1933 Nobel for the wave equation that bears his name and the famous cat thought-experiment. Closely associated with Werner Heisenberg (matrix-mechanics rival who reached the same physics by different math) and Albert Einstein (his pen-pal on quantum interpretation). For an intellectual contrast, see Niels Bohr, Danish physicist and architect of the Copenhagen interpretation — Schrödinger's cat thought-experiment was specifically designed to ridicule Bohr's 'observer-dependent reality' reading of quantum mechanics — Schrödinger thought the Copenhagen interpretation was absurd; the cat was meant as reductio ad absurdum.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Science, particularly theoretical science, isn't purely objective or inevitable in its development — scientists make choices about which problems to pursue, which frameworks to adopt, which explanations feel satisfying. Those choices are driven by aesthetic sensibility, intellectual preference, and personal judgment as much as by logic. What counts as a good theory or elegant explanation reflects human values and taste, not just cold empirical fact.
Relevance to Erwin Schrodinger
Schrödinger famously chose wave mechanics over matrix mechanics — both mathematically equivalent — partly because waves felt more physically intuitive and aesthetically pleasing to him. He openly admitted personal distaste for discontinuity and abstraction in quantum physics. His rivalry with Heisenberg partly reflected differing aesthetic sensibilities about what physics should look like, making this quote autobiographical.
The era
In the early 20th century, quantum mechanics fractured physics into competing formalisms. Heisenberg's matrix mechanics and Schrödinger's wave equation described identical phenomena yet felt radically different. Physicists debated which was more 'real' or fundamental — a debate that was ultimately philosophical and aesthetic, not empirical. This era forced scientists to confront that theory choice involves judgment beyond mere experimental confirmation.
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