Quantum Uncertainty: Einstein, Bohr, and the Limits of Certainty

"Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing..." — Albert Einstein, 12 December 1926 letter to Max Born; the correspondence is the preferred context, while the supplied wording comes from a quotation guide.
"Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it." — Niels Bohr, presented by the American Institute of Physics as a famous statement about quantum theory; use as a thematic line, not a technical definition.
"The longing for certainty... is in every human mind. But certainty is generally illusion." — Bertrand Russell, philosophical analogy about epistemic humility, not a statement about quantum mechanics.
"When one admits that nothing is certain one must, I think, also add that some things are more nearly certain than others." — Bertrand Russell, philosophical analogy about degrees of confidence, not a statement about quantum mechanics.
"We do not know: we can only guess. And our guesses are guided by a faith in the orderliness of nature and that this orderliness can be comprehended by the human mind." — Karl Popper, philosophical analogy about conjecture and scientific interpretation, not an explanation of quantum mechanics.

Quantum Uncertainty: Einstein, Bohr, and the Limits of Certainty

Explore related topics