Abstract

Summary This paper examines the three central theses of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. (1) Quantum mechanics must make use of concepts of classical physics; (2) descriptions which in classical physis are mutually exclusive are complementary descriptions of the same objects in quantum mechanics; (3) the uncertainty relations are natural laws which determine the limits of the application of classical concepts to micro-physical objects. Usually, these central theses of the Copenhagen interpretation are interpreted in a realistic-ontological manner. This paper criticizes this position, and, by means of a comparative investigation of the function of models in classical physics and quantum mechanics, proposes a model-theoretic interpretation. This interpretation lays special stress on the fictional status of models in quantum mechanics