Wolfgang Pauli: His Scientific Work and His Ideas on the Foundations of Physics

Abstract

Physics finds itself in recent years in an exciting and revolutionary phase of development: after a long intermission — and despite practical successes — critical questions about the proper foundations are again being asked, and far-reaching attempts are being made to gain a deeper understanding of the whole structure of the theory of our time. Like it or not, we are reminded of the decisive years of the revolution in physics in the 1920’s, and we ask ourselves what was in the minds of the great scholars of that time, who participated in the re-structuring of physics made necessary by the advent of the special and the general theory of relativity and — simultanously — of quantum theory, and what relevance their thoughts and ideas could have for our time. From amongst these extraordinary personalities I wish to speak here about one of the foremost: Wolfgang Pauli. I would like to do so not just in view of my own unforgettable personal recollections, but especially in view of Pauli’s — to this day largely unknown — ideas on the deeper meaning of physical research and his far-reaching philosophical and historical considerations. Just recently these ideas have been extensively discussed by K.V. Laurikainen in his book “Beyond the Atom: The Philosophical Thought of Wolfgang Pauli” (Springer Press 1988), based on quotations from previously inaccessable private correspondence. For the benefit of a new generation it may, however, be appropriate to first discuss some details of the life and work of this deepthinking scientific personality — both of which were quite unusual by present-day standards.