Saturday, December 11, 2010

Meandering in the matrix . . .

Today is the birthday of Max Born (December 11, 1882 – January 5, 1970), physicist and mathematician. He was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics and won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics (shared with Walther Bothe).

"I have tried to read philosophers of all ages and have found many illuminating ideas but no steady progress toward deeper knowledge and understanding. Science, however, gives me the feeling of steady progress: I am convinced that theoretical physics is actual philosophy. It has revolutionized fundamental concepts, e.g., about space and time (relativity), about causality (quantum theory), and about substance and matter (atomistics), and it has taught us new methods of thinking (complementarity) which are applicable far beyond physics."
- Max Born

"The belief that there is only one truth and that oneself is in possession of it seems to me the deepest root of all evil that is in the world."
- Max Born

"It is odd to think that there is a word for something which, strictly speaking, does not exist, namely, 'rest'. We distinguish between living and dead matter; between moving bodies and bodies at rest. This is a primitive point of view. What seems dead, a stone or the proverbial 'door-nail', say, is actually forever in motion. We have merely become accustomed to judge by outward appearances; by the deceptive impressions we get through our senses."
- Max Born

"Intellect distinguishes between the possible and the impossible reason distinguishes between the sensible and the senseless. Even the possible can be senseless."
- Max Born

Born image source (1)

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