×

Einstein, his theories, and his aesthetic considerations. (English) Zbl 1194.01031

Summary: This article deals with the question whether aesthetic considerations affected Einstein in formulating both his theories of relativity. The opinions of philosophers and historians alike are divided on this matter. Thus, Gerald Holton supports the view that Einstein employed aesthetic considerations in formulating his theory of special relativity whereas Jim shelton opposes it, one of his reasons being that Einstein did not mention such considerations. The other theory, namely, that of general relativity, is discussed by John D. Norton. He asserts that the successful completion of this theory was due to Einstein’s adherence to mathematical simplicity resulting from experience, as Einstein himself stated, and not from an aesthetic drive, to which he did not refer. The present work attempts to overcome this deficiency indirectly by investigating Einstein’s aesthetic awareness and its consequences for his work. It is found that this awareness was imbedded in his perception of nature and is linked to the criteria (such as simplicity) that guided him informulating his theories. The conclusion thus reached is that aesthetic considerations did play a role in Einstein’s endeavour, contrary to the assertions of Shelton and Norton.

MSC:

01A60 History of mathematics in the 20th century
81-03 History of quantum theory
Full Text: DOI

References:

[1] Born M, The Born-Einstein Letters (1971)
[2] Dukas H, Albert Einstein: The Human Side (1981)
[3] Einstein A, The Principle of Relativity pp 109– (1923)
[4] Einstein A, Out of My Later Years (1950) · Zbl 0038.14803
[5] Einstein A, Ideas and Opinions (1982)
[6] Einstein A, Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist pp 3– (1982)
[7] Einstein A, Einstein’s Miraculous Year pp 123– (1998)
[8] DOI: 10.1080/02698590020029305 · Zbl 1067.81503 · doi:10.1080/02698590020029305
[9] DOI: 10.1080/02698590120118800 · Zbl 1030.83500 · doi:10.1080/02698590120118800
[10] Hoffmann B, Albert Einstein (1977)
[11] Holton G, Thematic Origins of Scientific Thought (1988)
[12] Klein MJ, The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. Vol. 5: The Swiss Years: Correspondence, 1902–1914 (1995)
[13] Lanczos C, General Relativity: Papers in Honour of J. L. Synge pp 5– (1972)
[14] DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/56/7/001 · doi:10.1088/0034-4885/56/7/001
[15] Norton JD, The Creation of Ideas in Physics pp 29– (1995) · doi:10.1007/978-94-011-0037-3_3
[16] DOI: 10.1007/BF01128809 · doi:10.1007/BF01128809
[17] DOI: 10.1016/S1355-2198(99)00035-0 · Zbl 1222.01032 · doi:10.1016/S1355-2198(99)00035-0
[18] Pais A, ’Subtle is the Lord...’: The Science and Life of Albert Einstein (1982)
[19] Reichenbach H, Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist pp 289– (1982)
[20] Schulmann R, The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Vol. 8: The Berlin Years: Correspondence, 1914–1918 (1998)
[21] DOI: 10.1016/0039-3681(88)90021-0 · doi:10.1016/0039-3681(88)90021-0
[22] Stachel J, Einstein and the History of General Relativity, Vol. I pp pp. 63–100– (1989)
[23] Wigner EP, Symmetries and Reflections (1979)
This reference list is based on information provided by the publisher or from digital mathematics libraries. Its items are heuristically matched to zbMATH identifiers and may contain data conversion errors. In some cases that data have been complemented/enhanced by data from zbMATH Open. This attempts to reflect the references listed in the original paper as accurately as possible without claiming completeness or a perfect matching.