Title: Narratives of Quantum Theory in the Age of Quantum Technologies,
Abstract: Quantum technologies can be presented to the public with or without
introducing a strange trait of quantum theory responsible for their
non-classical efficiency. Traditionally the message was centered on the
superposition principle, while entanglement and properties such as
contextuality have been gaining ground recently. A less theoretical approach is
focused on simple protocols that enable technological applications. It results
in a pragmatic narrative built with the help of the resource paradigm and
principle-based reconstructions. I discuss the advantages and weaknesses of
these methods. To illustrate the importance of new metaphors beyond the
Schrödinger cat, I briefly describe a non-mathematical narrative about
entanglement that conveys an idea of some of its unusual properties. If quantum
technologists are to succeed in building trust in their work, they ought to
provoke an aesthetic perception in the public commensurable with the
mathematical beauty of quantum theory experienced by the physicist. The power
of the narrative method lies in its capacity to do so.