Understanding and Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics

Taking Heisenberg’s and Schrodinger’s theories of quantum mechanics as his case study, De Regt’s contextual theory of understanding argues that recognizing qualitatively characteristic consequences of a theory T without performing exact calculations is a criterion for scientific understanding. From the perspective of this theory of understanding, the task of understanding quantum mechanics seems to have been achieved already or even finished. This appears to disagree with some physicists’ attitude to the understanding of quantum mechanics in line with Richard Feynman’s famous slogan “I think I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics.” Moreover, if the task of understanding quantum mechanics has been finished already, there would be a conflict between the contextual theory of understanding of quantum mechanics and interpretations of quantum mechanics.