The Hermeneutic Challenge in Quantum Physics

This article examines quantum physics’ interpretive challenges through philosophical hermeneutics, arguing that the persistent confusion in understanding quantum phenomena stems not only from theoretical complexity, but from a hermeneutic deficit – a gap in how meaning is constructed, communicated, and contested within and beyond the scientific community. Drawing on Hans-Georg Gadamer’s (2004) notion of a crisis of intelligibility, we suggest that quantum theory has entered a phase where its formal success is undercut by interpretative fragmentation. This deficit manifests in two interconnected domains. First, in scientific communication, where metaphors like “particles that decide” or “observers creating reality” promote anthropomorphized misunderstandings. Second, and more fundamentally, within scientific practice itself, where the plurality of interpretations – Copenhagen, Bohmian, QBism – reveals that meaning in quantum physics is not derived from equations alone, but from contextual, socially embedded epistemic cultures (Knorr-Cetina, 1999).Rather than treating interpretations as deviations from an ideal objectivity, we propose a hermeneutic reframing: interpretations are dynamic constructs, shaped by experimental systems, disciplinary norms, and institutional choices. To unpack this, the first section draws on Hans-Jörg Rheinberger (1977) and Knorr-Cetina (1999) to outline how quantum theory evolves not through isolated theorizing but through materially grounded practices. In doing so, we aim to move beyond the “interpretive regress” (Collins, 2010) toward a productive hermeneutic model of quantum meaning-making.