Heisenberg’s Umdeutung: A Case for a (Quantum-)Dialogue Between History and Philosophy of Science

Abstract

Mara Beller (1999) argued that Heisenberg’s declared heuristics of eliminating unobservables was, more than anything else, a rhetoric strategy to defend his theoretical proposal, lacking as it did, a proper physical justification. Beller’s conclusions may be right to a considerable extent. However, they make us miss out on the opportunity to use the historical case for a refinement of our notion of observability. I conclude with a sketch of what kind of enterprise we embark on when we try to seize the opportunity that the case offers.