The violent reaction on the recent development of modern physics can only be understood when one realises that here the foundations of physics have started moving; and that this motion has caused the feeling that the ground would be cut from science.
Meaning of the quote
The quote is saying that when new discoveries in modern physics were made, many people reacted strongly and were uncomfortable with these changes. This is because the basic principles and foundations of physics were shifting, which made some people feel like the very ground of science was being taken away. The new discoveries were so significant that they challenged long-held beliefs and theories, causing unease and resistance among some.
About Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg was a pioneering German physicist who made major contributions to the development of quantum mechanics. He is best known for the uncertainty principle, which he published in 1927, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932 for his work. Heisenberg was also involved in the Nazi nuclear weapons program during World War II and went on to become an influential figure in post-war German science.
More quotes from Werner Heisenberg
The violent reaction on the recent development of modern physics can only be understood when one realises that here the foundations of physics have started moving; and that this motion has caused the feeling that the ground would be cut from science.
German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner
Every word or concept, clear as it may seem to be, has only a limited range of applicability.
German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner
The solution of the difficulty is that the two mental pictures which experiment lead us to form – the one of the particles, the other of the waves – are both incomplete and have only the validity of analogies which are accurate only in limiting cases.
German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner
The problems of language here are really serious. We wish to speak in some way about the structure of the atoms. But we cannot speak about atoms in ordinary language.
German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.
German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner
Natural science, does not simply describe and explain nature; it is part of the interplay between nature and ourselves.
German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner