Epistemology

• Niels Bohr liked to use the phrase “kvantemekanikkens erkendelsesmæssige belæring”, which translates roughly as “the epistemological lesson of quantum mechanics”. Notice that Bohr does not say the ontological lesson of quantum mechanics — although he certainly did think that quantum mechanics tells us things about the nature of physical reality.

• The Danish word “erkendelse” is usually translated as “knowledge”, and “erkendelsesteori” as “epistemology”. However, erkendelsesteori is significantly more broad than analytic epistemology.

• “I have always sought scientific inspiration in epistemology rather than in mysticism.” (Bohr letter to Pauli, March 2, 1955)