While the finish given to our picture of the world by the theory of relativity has already been absorbed into the general scientific consciousness, this has scarcely occurred to the same extent with those aspects of the general problem of knowledge which have been elucidated by the quantum theory.
Interpretation
Niels Bohr suggests that while relativity is widely accepted in understanding the universe, quantum theory's implications for knowledge remain less understood.
In this quote, Niels Bohr reflects on the contrasting acceptance of two foundational theories in physics: relativity and quantum theory. He points out that although the implications of relativity have become well-integrated into scientific understanding and common consciousness, the deeper philosophical and conceptual challenges posed by quantum theory have not yet been fully realized or appreciated by society at large, emphasizing a gap in understanding the nature of knowledge itself.
In practice
In a lecture about the implications of quantum mechanics on modern science.
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.'
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.
Many people find the universe confusing - it's not.
My expertise is the space program and what it should be in the future based on my experience of looking at the transitions that we've made between pre-Sputnik days and getting to the moon.
Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs.
For centuries, magicians have intuitively taken advantage of the inner workings of our brains.
Science is the topography of ignorance.
What we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return
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