Physics Colloquium: On the challenge of quantum mechanics to philosophy

Abstract:

The traditional (Platonic) view of science as proof gave way to Einstein's view of it as progressing towards the truth in (possibly infinitely many) steps of approximations. Einstein's theory of gravity still offers clear criteria for these approximations. Not so in quantum mechanics where Einstein's criterion (strong fields are approximately classical) clashes with Bohr's (large-scale phenomena are approximately classical). When these two clash paradoxes arise, including the two-slits and the EPR as well as other paradoxes.