- Hardcover: 356 pages
- Publisher: Joseph Henry Press; 1st Edition edition (19 Mar 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0309089980
- ISBN-13: 978-0309089982
- Product Dimensions: 24 x 15.8 x 2.6 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,870,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Synopsis
"I find the idea quite intolerable that an electron exposed to radiation should choose of its own free will, not only its moment to jump off, but also its direction. In that case, I would rather be a cobbler, or even an employee in a gaming house, than a physicist." - Albert Einstein. A scandal hovers over the history of 20th century physics. Albert Einstein the century's greatest physicist was never able to come to terms with quantum mechanics, the century's greatest theoretical achievement. For physicists who routinely use both quantum laws and Einsteins ideas, this contradiction can be almost too embarrassing to dwell on. Yet Einstein was one of the founders of quantum physics and he spent many years preaching the quantums importance and its revolutionary nature. The Danish genius Neils Bohr was another founder of quantum physics. He had managed to solve one of the few physics problems that Einstein ever shied away from, linking quantum mathematics with a new model of the atom. This leap immediately yielded results that explained electron behavior and the periodic table of the elements. Despite their mutual appreciation of the quantums importance, these two giants of modern physics never agreed on the fundamentals of their work. In fact, they clashed repeatedly throughout the 1920s, arguing first over Einsteins theory of light quanta (photons), then over Niels Bohrs short-lived theory that denied the conservation of energy at the quantum level, and climactically over the new quantum mechanics that Bohr enthusiastically embraced and Einstein stubbornly defied. This contest of visions stripped the scientific imagination naked. Einstein was a staunch realist, demanding to know the physical reasons behind physical events. At odds with this approach was Bohrs more pragmatic perspective that favored theories that worked, even if he might not have a corresponding explanation of the underlying reality. Powerful and illuminating, "Einstein Defiant" is the first book to capture the soul and the science that inspired this dramatic duel, revealing the personalities and the passions and, in the end, what was at stake for the world.
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13 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Great Research Enlivens a Great Story
28 Oct 2004
Format:Hardcover
The research behind this book is amazing. The author has stuffed this book with many little facts that enrich the scenes. For example, there is a chapter in which Einstein and his rival Niels Bohr first meet and walk together through Berlin while they dispute physics. It sounds arcane, but the research Bolles did brings the story alive. First, it is plain that there is no record of what the two men actually said. Bolles does not make up dialogue, but he presents the two scientists' positions in back-and-forth form so it feels like a debate. There are many scenes in the book where Bohr and Einstein dispute in this manner. The research necessary to understand the changes in their arguments at different times must have been great. On top of that, the author includes descriptions of Berlin while the two men walk through neighborhood after neighborhood. Added to this is an account of the absentmindedness of the two as they ignore the city around them. The result mixes science, humor, and 1920's Berlin into a scene that is as sharp as something in a movie. And there is scene after scene like this. The catastrophe of inflation that destroyed everybody's savings (including that of Einstein's wife) never sounded so hellish. I noticed that one Amazon reviewer complained about this book's research, but that is unfair. We get data from old guidebooks, photos, diaries, letters, newspapers, science journals, and many other sources. These details are seamlessly sewn together into one grand fabric.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful Book fro the Centenary!
7 Feb 2005
Format:Hardcover
Anyone looking for something other than a straightforward biography of Einstein should consider this wonderful book, a full exposition of Einstein's vision of science and of the world science describes. By looking at the clash of approaches between two major 20th Century thinkers, Bolles elucidates a larger cultural clash that animates the 20th and, now, the 21st centuries, between those who are careless of ideals and essences, focused on "whatever works," and those who are more concerned with meaning and grasping something whole.
In his review of Bolles' book in the Washington Post "Book World," David Bodanis wrote that this "tender, insightful book" is "the best popular account I know of this central episode in 20th-century thought." "Tender" is an unusual word to associate with a book about such a subject, but Bolles, whose list of writings is as varied as it is extensive, manages to bring a seriousness of purpose to all his work which extends well beyond an accumulation of facts, to something quite profound about the nature of man and his struggle with Being.
THe book on Einstein for this year (and next)? Blair Bolles' "Einstein Defiant."
In his review of Bolles' book in the Washington Post "Book World," David Bodanis wrote that this "tender, insightful book" is "the best popular account I know of this central episode in 20th-century thought." "Tender" is an unusual word to associate with a book about such a subject, but Bolles, whose list of writings is as varied as it is extensive, manages to bring a seriousness of purpose to all his work which extends well beyond an accumulation of facts, to something quite profound about the nature of man and his struggle with Being.
THe book on Einstein for this year (and next)? Blair Bolles' "Einstein Defiant."
17 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Mediocre book on a great topic
1 Aug 2004
Format:Hardcover
This book covers a fascinating and important topic, but it fails to live up to its potential. There are several problems that weaken the book.
First, Bolles' writing style often gets in the way and on some occassions reads like a Freshman descriptive writing assignment. While he's right in his goal to weave in world events and the personal lives of the main figures with a discussion of the science, his execution is awkward.
Second, the book is plagued by the use of dubious analogies to explain the experimental and theoretical physics of the quantum revolution. As a scientist (but not a physicist), I find that the analogies often seem incorrect or misleading.
Finally, the book relies very heavily on secondary sources, which perhaps is only a minor problem in a book aimed at a popular audience.
I still enjoyed the book because the subject is fun and fascinating, and because it is a book that makes an effort to deal with both the personalities and the science in early 20th century physics.
First, Bolles' writing style often gets in the way and on some occassions reads like a Freshman descriptive writing assignment. While he's right in his goal to weave in world events and the personal lives of the main figures with a discussion of the science, his execution is awkward.
Second, the book is plagued by the use of dubious analogies to explain the experimental and theoretical physics of the quantum revolution. As a scientist (but not a physicist), I find that the analogies often seem incorrect or misleading.
Finally, the book relies very heavily on secondary sources, which perhaps is only a minor problem in a book aimed at a popular audience.
I still enjoyed the book because the subject is fun and fascinating, and because it is a book that makes an effort to deal with both the personalities and the science in early 20th century physics.
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