Complementary Descriptions (PART I): A Set of Ideas Regarding the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

TL;DR

This paper explores Bohr's concept of complementarity in quantum mechanics, analyzing its philosophical foundations and proposing a framework that incorporates Einstein's ontological views to better understand interpretational issues.

Contribution

It develops the idea of complementary descriptions, integrating Einstein's perspective, to enhance the interpretation of quantum mechanics and address foundational problems.

Findings

Analysis of Bohr's complementarity concept

Introduction of the principle of complementary description

Implications for understanding quantum measurement and classical limit

Abstract

Niels Bohr introduced the concept of complementarity in order to give a general account of quantum mechanics, however he stressed that the idea of complementarity is related to the general difficulty in the formation of human ideas, inherent in the distinction between subject and object. The complementary descriptions approach is a framework for the interpretation of quantum mechanics, more specifically, it focuses in the development of the idea of complementarity and the concept of potentiality in the orthodox quantum formulation. In PART I of this article, we analyze the ideas of Bohr and present the principle of complementary description which takes into account Einstein's ontological position. We argue, in PART II, that this development allows a better understanding of some of the paradigmatic interpretational problems in quantum mechanics, such as the measurement problem and the quantum to classical limit. We conclude that one should further develop complementarity in order to elaborate a consistent worldview.