Einstein’s War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I
Matthew Stanley
Dutton/Penguin Random House (May 2019)
A major breakthrough in science within a global crucible of severe political pressure
According to Matthew Stanley, “This is the story of a theory, general relativity,hailed at its birth as ‘one of the greatest– perhaps the greatest — of achievements in the history of human thought.’ It remains, a century later, one of the essential pillars upholding our understanding of the universe. Relativity not only explained the movements of galaxies through space, predicted black holes, and defined the grand scales of the cosmos, it forced us to question the most basic ways we experience the world around us. Einstein warned that time and space were not what they seemed, that the most profound tools we use to make sense of reality were [begin italics] warped [end italics].”
This book poses challenges for non-scientists such as I even as it raises questions and addresses issues that have broad interest and deep implication. For example, to what extent (if any) does “German science” or “Swiss science” differ from any other insofar as relativity is concerned? To what extent (if any) should any individual be given sole credit for any theory about relativity? With regard to implication, to what extent (if any) should a scientist or group of scientists be held responsible — or feel responsible — for whatever is done with their breakthrough discovery? How should credit and blame be properly shared?
These are among the passages of greatest interest and value to me, also listed to suggest the scope of Stanley’s coverage:
o Legacy of Isaac Newton (Pages 4-5 and 25-26)
o Arthur Stanley: Background (11-16)
o Electromagnetism theory (19–20, 137-138, and 142-144)
o Galileo (20-21, 29-30, 32-33, and 99-101)
o Einstein’s approach to scientific thought (28-30, 145-146, and 322-323)
o “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies”(30-37)
o Charles Davidson (56-57, 256-257, 279-280, and 329-330)
o General relativity theory development and gravity (64-74)
o World War I inception and Austria and Hungary (79-81)
o World War I and the scientific community (93-111)
o Great Britain: Military recruitment/conscription (102-107, 129-130, 164-168, and 232-242)
o David Hilbert (135-139,147-154, and 181-182)
o Einstein: “My Opinion of the War” 144-145)
o Willem DeSitter’s communications with Eddington (168-173)
o Einstein’s health issues (181-182, 186-187, 195-196, and 243-244)
o Cosmological models and Willem DeSitter (187-193 and 214-215)
o Eddington’s “Report on the Relativity Theory of Gravitation” (211-219 and 294-295)
o Eclipse expeditions (252-295)\
o General relativity publicity (296-320)
o Anti-semitism directed against Einstein (311-313)
o Legacies of Eddington and Einstein (331-334)
These are among Matthew Stanley’s concluding thoughts: “The horrors of the war, and pacifists’ reactions to them, forged the intricate, fragile network that made relativity what it was [or could become]. The connections Einstein did are not trivial. How we think about science, how we link it to the other parts of our lives, changes the way science is done. We — scientists and nonscientists — need to choose what values and goals we want to bring to the scientific endeavor. of science to the wider world — politics, religion culture — are not trivial. How we think about science, how we link it to the other parts of our lives, changes the way science is done. We — scientists and nonscientists — need to choose what values and goals we want to bring to the scientific endeavor. Einstein did.”
Indeed, he had second and third thoughts about his contributions to the development of nuclear weapons. When asked if they would be used if there were a World War III: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”