Continuity and Change: Charting David Bohm’s Evolving Ideas on Quantum Mechanics

Abstract

“It is too bad, very sad indeed, that he did not live to see how his reputation has shot up recently. His interpretation of quantum mechanics is becoming respected not only by philosophers of science but also by ‘straight’ physicists.” The words of the American physicist Melba Phillips, a long-standing friend of David Bohm (1917–1992), demonstrate yet another case of posthumous recognition in science. This paper intends to chart the evolution of Bohm’s ideas on the interpretation of quantum mechanics dealing with both the elements of continuity and change.