An independant reality in the ordinary physical sense can neither be ascribed to the phenomenon nor to the agencies of observation.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that reality cannot be fully understood through observation alone, as both the phenomena and observers influence it.
Niels Bohr's quote emphasizes the complex relationship between reality, phenomena, and the observers who study them. It highlights the idea that our understanding of reality is not purely objective, as both the phenomena we observe and the observational tools and methods we employ shape our interpretation of the world. This challenges traditional notions of an independent reality and invites deeper contemplation about how knowledge is constructed.
In practice
During a lecture on quantum mechanics, one might quote Bohr to illustrate the intricacies of measurement and reality.
When asked ... [about] an underlying quantum world, Bohr would answer, 'There is no quantum world. There is only an abstract quantum physical description. It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how nature is. Physics concerns what we can say about Nature.'
An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.
Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.
When searching for harmony in life one must never forget that in the drama of existence we are ourselves both actors and spectators.
And anyone who thinks they can talk about quantum theory without feeling dizzy hasn't yet understood the first thing about it.
Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real.
Everything's much too big here,' thought Moominmamma. 'Or perhaps I'm too small.
The path to paradise begins in hell.
It is part of the formidableness of a genuine mass movement that the self-sacrifice it promotes includes also a sacrifice of some of the moral sense, which cramps and restrains our nature.
There is a common perception that compassion is, if not actually an impediment, at least irrelevant to professional life. Personally, I would argue that not only is it relevant, but that when compassion is lacking, our activities are in danger of becoming destructive. This is because when we ignore the question of the impact our actions have on others' well-being, inevitably we end up hurting them.
Here I am, safely returned over those peaks from a journey far more beautiful and strange than anything I had hoped for or imagined - how is it that this safe return brings such regret?
Beware of the words "internal security," for they are the eternal cry of the oppressor.
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