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.'
The old saying of the two kinds of truth. To the one kind belongs statements so simple and clear that the opposite assertion obviously could not be defended. The other kind, the so-called 'deep truths', are statements in which the opposite also contains deep truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the distinction between simple truths and complex, dual-layered truths.
Niels Bohr's quote illuminates the complexity of truth by categorizing it into two types: simple truths that are straightforward and indisputable, and deep truths that encompass a duality, suggesting that opposing viewpoints can hold their own validity. This perspective encourages a nuanced understanding of concepts where both sides may reveal significant insights, prompting deeper contemplation rather than rigid adherence to one truth.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about morality, one might reference this quote to illustrate how ethical dilemmas often contain multiple valid perspectives.
More from Niels Bohr
All quotes →An independant reality in the ordinary physical sense can neither be ascribed to the phenomenon nor to the agencies of observation.
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.
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