Niels Bohr as a Physicist of Principle

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2609.04297v1
• Date: Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:50:40 GMT
• Title: Niels Bohr as a Physicist of Principle
• Abstract summary: We argue that Bohr adopted a principle-theoretic approach to quantum mechanics in order to reconcile two principles.<n>The distinction principle asserts the necessity of a clear distinction between a classical apparatus and a quantum system.<n>The non-separability principle asserts that the two systems are ontologically non-separable in any measurement process.
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• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Our main claim is that Bohr adopted a principle-theoretic approach to quantum mechanics in order to reconcile two principles: the distinction principle, which asserts the necessity of a clear epistemic distinction between a classical apparatus and a quantum system, and the non-separability principle, which asserts that the two systems are ontologically non-separable in any measurement process. The latter principle is a consequence of Bohr's argument that, during a measurement interaction, the quantum system and the measurement apparatus form a 'new kind of individuality'. To support our argument, we first demonstrate the overlooked fact that, according to Bohr, the measurement interaction is a physical, irreversible process and not merely an epistemic acquisition of new information. In this respect, quantum mechanics must be regarded not only as a universal theory, but also as revealing no non-arbitrary difference between a quantum realm and a classical realm; the distinction is purely pragmatic. The tension between the epistemic necessity to rely on a neatly distinguishable classical realm and the ontic non-separability of the quantum system and the classical apparatus inclined Bohr to refuse to provide a constructive account of the measurement process, such as that later proposed, for instance, by spontaneous dynamical reduction models.

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