The lesson of quantum theory

The concepts of quantal states and complementarity introduced by Niels Bohr in an intuitive though definitive manner more than a generation ago have come to form cornerstones in our description of nature. The Centenary Symposium celebrating Niels Bohr pays tribute to his work which gave birth to contemporary physics and nourished related fields of knowledge. The book is divided into three parts. Part One consists of two communications to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in memory of Niels Bohr. Part Two containing the main theme of the proceedings is divided into three sections. The title of the first, The Lesson of Quantum Theory, is an expression often used by Niels Bohr as time and again he endeavoured an ever deeper analysis of this lesson and its succinct formulation. For Bohr the lesson of quantum theory went beyond physics encompassing not only the natural sciences but all human conceptions. Thus the second section, Unity of Knowledge, conveys the progress in neighbouring disciplines in which Bohr took a particular interest. The last section, Niels Bohr, is dedicated to his personality, his activities, and his world of thought. Part three renders speeches and anecdotes presented during the evening gathering at Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket on Niels Bohr's one hundredth birthday. (Auth.)