Quantum Physics and Ordinary Language

Abstract

The part of ordinary language dealing with external phenomena is the primary means of description in scientific investigations where the principal objects are so large that they can easily be observed by the naked eye. Obvious examples are zoology, botany, and geology. But the more the observed phenomena differ from the occurrences of everyday life, the more ordinary language is replaced by scientific terminology. The shift of the central part of communication from ordinary language through specialized technical languages towards abstract mathematical meta-languages seems to be inherent in the scientific method itself. The primary objects for scientific examination must necessarily be directly observable and the point of departure must be the description afforded by ordinary language. But the idea of scientific experimentation is precisely to obtain an insight that transcends the mere verbal description of phenomena, and hence ordinary language alone cannot produce an adequate analysis of experimental recordings.