Poetry Helped 20th Century Physicists Make the Quantum Leap

What do poetry and physics have in common? If your first answer is “the letter ‘P,’” you’re not alone. Georgia Tech Professor John Lyon, however, traces a much deeper connection between the two disciplines. 

“Poetry was extremely important for the leading minds in quantum physics,” said Lyon, who is a professor of German and the Charles Smithgall Jr. Institute Chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Modern Languages. “Quantum physics is the science of the unseeable, the indescribable — and poetry is at least part of its language.”  

According to Lyon, physicists like Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, Albert Einstein, and others all had a strong background in the humanities, in literature and poetry. Erwin Schrödinger even published his own volume of poetry, Gedichte [Poems], in 1949.  

But these early 20th century physicists weren’t just conversant in poetry — they viewed it as essential to their work. 

“Neils Bohr said ‘When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry.’ He and others needed a way to understand and manipulate concepts that are too small to see and beyond the language of our everyday experiences,” said Lyon.  

Because of its focus on building imagery and helping us make mental connections, says Lyon, poetry helped quantum physicists bridge the gap between existing language and their new ideas. 

“Poetry might be one of the best ways to get at new concepts and thoughts, because it uses words in unusual ways and helps us see the world differently,” said Lyon. 

With Apologies to Cats and Physicists 

According to Lyon, one example of stretching language around a hard-to-grasp idea is Schrödinger’s Cat. This thought experiment loosely illustrates the concept of quantum superposition, in which opposing states can exist simultaneously.  

Imagine a cat trapped in a box with a vial of poison that may or may not have broken open, killing the cat. Both outcomes are equally likely. You cannot see into the box, nor can you open it (yet). Is the cat alive or dead? From your perspective, it is both — at the same time. 

What Schrödinger’s Cat may lack in detail or exactitude, says Lyon, it makes up for by making the impossible a concrete, graspable idea.  

Unfortunately, there is no corresponding thought experiment to help us understand quantum entanglement. (Scientists at CalTech gave it a try, comparing entangled particles to twins separated at birth.) When two particles become entangled, a change in one is simultaneously reflected in the other, even if they are separated by great distances.  

And while poetry and quantum physics may seem to be at either ends of the galaxy, Lyon says themes of superposition, paradox, and entanglement resonate across both.  

“Ludwig Wittgenstein said, ‘the limits of my language are the limits of my world,’” said Lyon. “By pushing the boundaries of language, poetry pushes the boundaries of thought.”