Bernard d’Espagnat

Bernard d’Espagnat was a French physicist, philosopher of science, and Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at the University of Pari-Sud, whose explorations of the philosophical implications of quantum physics opened new vistas on the definition of reality and the potential limits of knowable science.

From the mid-1960s through the early 1980s, he played a key role in the exploration and development of quantum mechanics, specifically on experiments testing the “Bell’s inequalities” theorem.  He also explored the philosophical importance of these new physics-based insights into the nature of reality.  Much of his work on the subject centered on what he called “veiled reality,” a hidden yet unifying domain beneath what is perceived as time, space, matter, and energy – concepts challenged by quantum physics as possibly mere appearances.