Editing Thought experiment (section)

===Relation to real experiments===
The relation to real experiments can be quite complex, as can be seen again from an example going back to Albert Einstein. In 1935, with two coworkers, he published a paper on a newly created subject called later the EPR effect ([[EPR paradox]]). In this paper, starting from certain philosophical assumptions,<ref>Jaynes, E.T. (1989).[http://bayes.wustl.edu/etj/articles/cmystery.pdf  Clearing up the Mysteries], opening talk at the 8th International MAXENT Workshop, St John's College, Cambridge UK.</ref> on the basis of a rigorous analysis of a certain, complicated, but in the meantime assertedly realizable model, he came to the conclusion that ''quantum mechanics should be described as "incomplete"''. [[Niels Bohr]] asserted a refutation of Einstein's analysis immediately, and his view prevailed.<ref>French, A.P., Taylor, E.F. (1979/1989). ''An Introduction to Quantum Physics'', Van Nostrand Reinhold (International), London, {{ISBN|0-442-30770-5}}.</ref><ref>Wheeler, J.A, Zurek, W.H., editors (1983). ''Quantum Theory and Measurement'', Princeton University Press, Princeton.</ref><ref>d'Espagnat, B. (2006). ''On Physics and Philosophy'', Princeton University Press, Princeton, {{ISBN|978-0-691-11964-9}}</ref> After some decades, it was asserted that feasible experiments could prove the error of the EPR paper. These experiments tested the [[Bell inequalities]] published in 1964 in a purely theoretical paper. The above-mentioned EPR philosophical starting assumptions were considered to be falsified by the empirical fact (e.g. by the optical ''real experiments'' of [[Alain Aspect]]).

Thus ''thought experiments'' belong to a theoretical discipline, usually to [[theoretical physics]], but often to [[theoretical philosophy]]. In any case, it must be distinguished from a real experiment, which belongs naturally to the experimental discipline and has "the final decision on ''true'' or ''not true''", at least in physics.