May I ask you about the Kantian notion of the ’a priori’ an idea which you introduced, in a modified sense, into your discussions of quantum theory.
Heisenberg :
« As I understand the idea of ’a priori,’ it stresses the point that our knowledge is not simply empirical, that is, derived from information obtained from the outer world through the senses and changed into data in the content of our brain. Rather, ’a priori’ means that experience is only possible when we already have some concepts which are the precondition of experience. Without these concepts (for instance, the concepts of space and time in Kant’s philosophy), we would not even be able to speak about experience.
Kant made the point that our experience has two sources : one source is the outer world (that is, the information received by the senses), and the other is the existence of concepts by which we can talk about these experiences. This idea is also borne out in quantum theory. »
Interview d’Heisenberg :
May I ask you about the Kantian notion of the ’a priori’ an idea which you introduced, in a modified sense, into your discussions of quantum theory.
Heisenberg :
« As I understand the idea of ’a priori,’ it stresses the point that our knowledge is not simply empirical, that is, derived from information obtained from the outer world through the senses and changed into data in the content of our brain. Rather, ’a priori’ means that experience is only possible when we already have some concepts which are the precondition of experience. Without these concepts (for instance, the concepts of space and time in Kant’s philosophy), we would not even be able to speak about experience.
Kant made the point that our experience has two sources : one source is the outer world (that is, the information received by the senses), and the other is the existence of concepts by which we can talk about these experiences. This idea is also borne out in quantum theory. »