Did Niels Bohr Go Too Far? By Paul Austin Murphy Perhaps there isn't enough written by Niels Bohr to secure a faithful interpretation of his philosophy of quantum physics. That's despite the fact that Bohr did say a lot more than most other physicists on philosophical issues. In more precise terms, Bohr never published a paper on the philosophy of quantum mechanics. Though, clearly, he published much on physics itself (sometimes with philosophical interjections).That's not a surprise: Bohr was a physicist, not a philosopher. So, again, because of that lack of technical philosophical detail, and philosophical argument, it's no wonder that philosophers argue about what exactly Bohr's philosophical position was. It's also worth noting that many of his philosophical remarks on quantum mechanics came after he'd done his important and relevant work in physics. That is, after the 1920s and sometimes a lot later than that. Thus it may also seem odd that there are books on “Bohr's philosophy”. And we also have books actually of (rather than about) Bohr's philosophy - such as The Philosophical Writings of Niels Bohr (in three volumes). Nonetheless, the problems I've just highlighted are summed up by one reviewer of this book. He writes : “Niels Bohr's view of the world is always something to keep in mind. But this book's title is misleading: if you're trying to understand how the (back then) new discoveries and theories in physics may have affected and /or influenced Niels Bohr from a non-theoretical, philosophical point of view, you won't find it here.” So to sum up Bohr's philosophical position. I would say that “subjectivist” is far better term than “idealist” describe Bohr's philosophy of quantum physics. And, in turn, “anti-realist” is far better than “subjectivist”. The term “idealism”, for one, comes along with far too much philosophical and historical baggage to affix it to Bohr's positions. In addition, it's also clear that Bohr fused subjectivism with intersubjectivism. (The latter position is something that the logical positivist Rudolf Carnap had to take on board in order to escape from the possible “solipsism” of his 1928 Aufbau position .) Indeed, as a physicist, Bohr could hardly not have fused subjectivism and intersubjectivism. ***************************************