QUANTUM METAPHYSICS - E-thesis

in which they can be experienced and on which they are founded. 612 Its theories deal with areas
which are not touched by our everyday experiences and direct observation. In such
investigations, we cannot without problems maintain that our language ”corresponds to reality”
as was thought in the circles of classical physics. The theory of relativity and quantum mechanics
tackled inadequacies in classical language. 613 These theories revealed structures in the world that
”normal” language could not address. The area in which certain concepts are universally
applicable turned out to be limited. The theory of relativity demonstrated that the classical
concept of space and time was only suited to the description of a world in which speeds were
small compared to the velocity of light. At the same time, the discovery of quanta revealed that
the theories of classical physics were idealisations, useful only at the macroscopic level where
effects are so large that quanta can be ignored. 614
Even though the area of applicability of classical concepts has been shown to be limited, we are,
according to Bohr, tied to both our classical language and our classical methods of description.
In portraying new and strange areas we have to be satisfied with the images and concepts that we
recognise. When experience is extended far beyond everyday phenomena, objective or common
inter-subjective description can only be maintained if we adhere to classical language, the use of
which guarantees consistent inter-subjective communication. 615
Det är inte endast så att kännedomen om verkningskvantums odelbarhet och
bestämningen av des värde beror av en analys av mätningar som grundrar sig på klassiska
begrepp, utan det ar fortfarande endast användningen av dessa begräpp som betingar
sambandet mellan kvantteorins symbolik och erfarenheternas innehåll. 616
Bohr drew a clear distinction between a theory’s mathematical formalism (its symbolic scheme)
and the intuitive description offered by classical concepts. But mathematics was also a language
for Bohr. The definition of its symbols and operations is based on the simple and logical use of
normal everyday language. Because it avoids the references to conscious subjects which slip
through in everyday language, mathematics is well suited to objective description and consistent
definitions. It is appropriate for the expression of relationships where verbal communication is
unclear or clumsy. 617
612
Bohr 1958, 69.
613
Bohr 1939, 25 ja Bohr 1963, 59.
614
Bohr 1958, 70.
615
Bohr 1958, 67.
616
Bohr 1967, 19.
230