Chapter 2: Complementarity as an Epistemology of Life

Despite the fact that Niels Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his major contribution to understanding the structure of atoms, it was his Complementarity Principle that has gone far beyond the interest of physicists and has attracted the attention of historians, social and natural scientists, health professionals, and philosophers. The tremendous amount of literature on complementarity offers such diverse perspectives and ideas that it is hardly possible to propose yet another issue that would advance the available knowledge and interpretations. I shall touch on two points, not only because of their interest in the history and philosophy of science, but, above all, because they have significant parallels in social and cultural psychology. These two points refer to the following issues.