Niels Bohr and Complementarity An Introduction [Paperback]

This book offers a discussion of Niels Bohrs conception of complementarity, arguably his greatest contribution to physics and philosophy. By tracing Bohrs work from his 1913 atomic theory to the introduction and then refinement of the idea of complementarity, and by explicating different meanings of complementarity in Bohr and the relationships between it and Bohrs other concepts, the book aims to offer a contained and accessible, and yet sufficiently comprehensive account of Bohrs work on complementarity and its significance.Preface.- Acknowledgements.- List of Abbreviations.- Chapter 1. 1900-1962. From Planck to Bohr.- Chapter 2. 1913. On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules: Quantum Jumps and Epistemological Leaps.- Chapter 3. 1925. Atomic Theory and Mechanics: From the Old Quantum Theory to Heisenbergs Quantum Mechanics.- Chapter 4. 1927. The Quantum Postulate and the Recent Development of Atomic Theory (The Como Lecture): Complementarity vs. Causality.- Chapter 5. 1929. The Quantum of Action and the Description of Nature: New Complementarities and a New Interpretation.- Chapter 6. 1931. The Space-Time Continuity and Atomic Physics (the Bristol Lecture): Quantum Phenomena and the Double-Slit Experiment.- Chapter 7. 1933. On the Question of Measurability of Electromagnetic Field Quantities: Complementarity and Quantum Field Theory.- Chapter 8. 1935. Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?: The EPR Experiment and Complementarity.- Chapter 9. 1937-1938. Complementarity and Causality and The Causality Problem in Atomic Physics (The Warsaw Lecture): The Knowable and the Unthinkable.- Chapter 10. 1954-1962. The Unity of Knowledge: New Harmonies.- Bibliography.- Name Index.- Subject Index.Arkady Plotnitsky is a professor of Theory and Cultural Studies at Purdue University, where he is also a director of the Theory and Cultural Studies Program, and a co-director of the Philosophy and Literature Progrl#4