Gemini says:

The Soviet Union did not completely reject quantum theory, but they did subject its philosophical interpretations to intense scrutiny and criticism. 🧐 The main conflict arose because the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which was the most widely accepted theory in the West, appeared to contradict the core tenets of dialectical materialism, the official state philosophy. Ideological Conflict * Idealism vs. Materialism: Dialectical materialism posits that matter is a real, objective entity and the foundation of all reality. The Copenhagen interpretation, particularly the concept of wave-particle duality and the role of the observer in collapsing the wave function, was seen as "idealistic." It suggested that an electron doesn't have a single, definite state until it's measured, which seemed to deny the existence of a unique, real physical reality independent of observation. * Determinism vs. Probability: The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics, which reduces physical prediction to a matter of chance, were seen as a rejection of scientific determinism. This conflicted with the Marxist-Leninist view that all phenomena are governed by predictable, material laws. The Political Response Despite these philosophical objections, the Soviet Union did not ban or purge quantum mechanics as a whole. This was largely because of the critical importance of the theory to the country's nuclear program. Soviet physicists, including prominent figures like Igor Tamm and Lev Landau, were essential for developing atomic weapons, and they could not do so without relying on the principles of quantum mechanics. * Pragmatism over Dogma: The Soviet leadership, led by Stalin and his inner circle, ultimately prioritized the development of an atomic bomb for Cold War competition. While ideological campaigns targeted "bourgeois" and "idealistic" science, like the infamous Lysenkoism in biology that crippled genetics research, physics was largely spared this fate because it was deemed too crucial for national security. * Alternative Interpretations: In response to the ideological pressure, some Soviet physicists, such as Dmitry Blokhintsev, developed an alternative "statistical interpretation" of quantum mechanics. This interpretation was presented as being more aligned with dialectical materialism by focusing on the properties of a large group (or ensemble) of particles rather than on the indeterminate behavior of a single particle. It was an effort to reconcile the mathematical formalism of the theory with the political demands of the state.