The History of Teaching Quantum Mechanics in Greece

TitleThe History of Teaching Quantum Mechanics in Greece
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2005
AuthorsTampakis, CM, Skordoulis, CD
Conference NameInternational History, Philosophy, Sociology and Science Teaching Conference: Teaching and Communicating Science
Conference LocationLeeds
Abstract

In this work, our goal is to trace the attitude of the Greek scientific community and the general public
towards quantum mechanics and establish the history of reception of this theory in Greece. We have examined physics
textbooks taught at the University of Athens, the only Greek University active during the period under examination, as
well as records of public speeches, articles in popular scientific magazines, political and philosophical publications and
lemmas of encyclopedias that were influential at the time.
Our research shows Quantum mechanics in Greece were involved in the debate between the political left and right
and the church organizations of the period, leading to an extremely idealistic misinterpretation of the theory. As a
result, quantum theory was late to establish itself in the emerging Greek scientific practice, with the first structured and
autonomous course on quantum mechanics appearing as late as 1965.

URLhttp://www.ihpst2005.leeds.ac.uk/papers/Tampakis_Skordoulis.pdf