Prior interpretations of complementarity

pp. 39-60

in: Makoto Katsumori, Niels Bohr's complementarity, Berlin, Springer, 2011

Abstract

Bohr's idea of complementarity is generally characterized as a key component of what is called the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory. As quantum mechanics was firmly established as a cornerstone of modern physics, and as the Copenhagen interpretation became predominant over the competing accounts, Bohr's complementarity became widely recognized as an essential constituent of the "orthodoxy." This does not mean, however, that his point of view was universally accepted or always clearly or unambiguously understood.