Who Invented the “Copenhagen Interpretation”? A Study in Mythology

2004/12/01 by Don Howard · 8 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Arts and Humanities · Medicine · #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Philosophy and History of Science #Biofield Effects and Biophysics

paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/425941

openalex publication_date 2004/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/21

Abstract

What is commonly known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, regarded as representing a unitary Copenhagen point of view, differs significantly from Bohr's complementarity interpretation, which does not employ wave packet collapse in its account of measurement and does not accord the subjective observer any privileged role in measurement. It is argued that the Copenhagen interpretation is an invention of the mid-1950s, for which Heisenberg is chiefly responsible, various other physicists and philosophers, including Bohm, Feyerabend, Hanson, and Popper, having further promoted the invention in the service of their own philosophical agendas.

Citations

• Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?
• The Quantum Postulate and the Recent Development of Atomic Theory1
• Discussion of Probability Relations between Separated Systems
• Albert Einstein—Philosopher-Scientist

Cited by

• Niels Bohr as Philosopher of Experiment: Does Decoherence Theory Challenge Bohr's Doctrine of Classical Concepts?
• Bohr, Heisenberg and the divergent views of complementarity
• Quantum Errors and Disturbances: Response to Busch, Lahti and Werner
• What in the (quantum) world is macroscopic?
• Whence the eigenstate–eigenvalue link?
• Copenhagen interpretation [wikipedia]
• Photon [wikipedia]
• Quantum mechanics [wikipedia]