INDIVISIBILITY of GLOBAL PROCESSES
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1639 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
In his critique of the EINSTEIN, ROSEN and PODOLSKY paradox, N. BOHR “… argued that in the quantum domain the procedure by which we analyse classical systems into interacting parts breaks down, for whenever two entities combine to form a single system (even only for a limited period of time) the process by which they do is not divisible. We are therefore faced with a breakdown of our customary idea about the indefinite analysibility of each process in various parts, located in different regions of space and time. Only in the classical limit, where many quanta are involved, can the effects of this indivisibility be neglected” (D. BÖHM, 1980, p.73).
Thus indivisibility is another interesting formulation about the limits of reductionism. It has also important implications for the dubious way we dichotomize our most basic concepts as time, space, matter and energy.
It can however be argued that the indivisibility problem may surge at any complexity level, and not merely at the quantum level. In all cases it is a result of multiple simultaneous interactions among numerous elements.
See also
3 bodies problem