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As an aside, this is a very common misinterpretation of Einstein's comments. After its discovery, there was a major disagreement about how to interpret quantum
by somenameforme 3y ago
As an aside, this is a very common misinterpretation of Einstein's comments. After its discovery, there was a major disagreement about how to interpret quantum mechanics. Bohr, among others, advocated for a view that quantum mechanics was a fundamentally probabilistic phenomena with no direct causal explanation. Einstein vehemently disagreed with this, and felt that the universe was absolutely causal in nature. And the only reason that an explanation that rejected determinism/causality fit so well was due to a lack of research or knowledge.
That's the context where many of his most famous comments come from. He was not skeptical of his own results or views, but of others' interpretations. It's the same for "Spooky action at a distance." Einstein had a deeply held belief that the universe was causal and logical, which he held to his death. Incidentally, the probabilistic explanation, "The Copenhagen Interpretation", ultimately 'won.'
It's one of the best examples of why equating science with consensus is such an odd view. The greatest physicist of all time held a fringe view on the very topic that he was 'the father' of. His arguing endlessly in support of his view, contrary to the consensus, only made for better science for all. To say nothing of some of the most amazing debates in history, with Einstein and Bohr having numerous live public debates over many years, constantly aiming to one-up each other.
- staunton 3y ago> "The Copenhagen Interpretation", ultimately 'won.' The debates are ongoing and "Copenhagen" (which really isn't a unified and coherent view anyway) is currently losing (among physicists, it will take long to take over in more established areas such as school education or media).
- goatlover 3y agoWon a popularity contest in the past because Bohr was very influential among his peers. But it always left enough physicists dissatisfied to motivate investigation into alternative interpretations, and Many Worlds is one of the interpretations which seems to be gaining followers.
- hinkley 3y agoIt interesting that Feynman describes Dirac in sentiments that aren’t far from what you’ve expressed about Einstein. Death, as often as not, saves us from old modes of thinking. If we ever invent immortality, we are in big trouble. That won’t be the last thing we invent, but it will precede the last thing by no more than twenty years. Thirty at the outside.