Albert Einstein, whose Theory of Relativity had made him the most famous scientist in the world, remarked towards the end of his career that he only went in to his office at Princeton 'just to have the privilege of walking home with Kurt Godel'. He and Godel had both fled Europe and the clutches of Nazism and had found rare solace in each other's company in foreign exile. They argued as equals and reinspired their respective interests in pure mathematics and physics. Godel's 'Incompleteness Theorem' had been described at Harvard as the 'most significant mathematical result of the century'. He was one of the few people to understand the philosophical implications of Einstein's theories of the universe - and would later honour Einstein's seventieth birthday by addressing his theories directly, proving time to be an ideal. This extraordinary friendship is one of the most remarkable of the twentieth century, all the more so for remaining so unremarked.
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About the Author
Palle Yourgrau is the author of The Disappearance of Time: Kurt Godel and the Idealistic Tradition in Philosophy and editor of Demonstratives. He is currently a Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University.
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First Sentence
In the summer of 1942, while German U-boats roamed in wolf packs off the coast of Maine, residents in the small coastal town of Blue Hill were alarmed by the sight of a solitary figure, hands clasped behind his back, hunched over like a comma with his eyes fixed on the ground, making his way along the shore in a seemingly endless midnight stroll. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In the summer of 1942, while German U-boats roamed in wolf packs off the coast of Maine, residents in the small coastal town of Blue Hill were alarmed by the sight of a solitary figure, hands clasped behind his back, hunched over like a comma with his eyes fixed on the ground, making his way along the shore in a seemingly endless midnight stroll. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Adrian Hope
Format:Paperback
As an introduction to the works of Godel post "Incompleteness" and the philosophical implications of Relativity (and no, I didn't know those subjects were connected until I read it), this little book is invaluable. Clearly, however, inside the Academy these are hotly contested issues, as the reviews below indicate, and the author gets his retaliation in first with some (almost) ad hominem attacks on his critics. All power to him, I say. It's an old joke to say academic disputes are so vicious because so little is at stake but this one seems really to matter. If this book can help elevate the reputation of one of the greatest minds of the past century to the status it deserves, it will have done no small thing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A. Currie
Format:Paperback
This short book introduces the subject of Godel's investigation into the distinction between 'intuitive' time and the 'formal' time used in science, in particular, Einstein's theory of relativity.
On the way, it discusses Godel's incompleteness theorems, and the positivist philosophical agenda for formalising mathematical proof.
It is, accordingly, not a particularly easy read, but the writing style is clear.
The main message of the book is that Godel proved that there exist solutions to Einstein's field equations which describe universes in which time does not exist and that the consequence for us is that our intuitive notion of time must be ideal (i.e. based only on our particular internal experience and not an actual feature of the physical universe ).
This is a shocking result which seems to have been swept under the carpet, Hawking himself attempted an unconvincing ad hoc 'fix' to the issue.
A reviewer below is wrong in stating the Godel universe is profoundly different to our own, in fact it is possible that we live in an expanding Godel universe
I found this to be a fascinating and thought provoking book with few faults other than the last chapter which is a bit of a crusade against philosophical detractors. I agree with a comment below that some knowledge of Godel's theorem and relativity will make the book easier to assimilate.
On the way, it discusses Godel's incompleteness theorems, and the positivist philosophical agenda for formalising mathematical proof.
It is, accordingly, not a particularly easy read, but the writing style is clear.
The main message of the book is that Godel proved that there exist solutions to Einstein's field equations which describe universes in which time does not exist and that the consequence for us is that our intuitive notion of time must be ideal (i.e. based only on our particular internal experience and not an actual feature of the physical universe ).
This is a shocking result which seems to have been swept under the carpet, Hawking himself attempted an unconvincing ad hoc 'fix' to the issue.
A reviewer below is wrong in stating the Godel universe is profoundly different to our own, in fact it is possible that we live in an expanding Godel universe
I found this to be a fascinating and thought provoking book with few faults other than the last chapter which is a bit of a crusade against philosophical detractors. I agree with a comment below that some knowledge of Godel's theorem and relativity will make the book easier to assimilate.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In 1949 Kurt Gödel, one of the most brilliant mathematicians of the twentieth century, was asked to contribute to a festive book commemmorating the seventieth birthday of his good friend Albert Einstein. He decided on some fooling around with general relativity and succeeded in constructing a universe without time. It is just possible that time is an illusion and travelling through it is perfectly feasible.
Einstein was impressed, though slightly disapppointed that his theory hadn't been the final word on time after all. Both giants of science continued to discuss the possibility the rest of their lives. The rest of science has found the idea so counterintuitive that it has hardly been explored.
This is what Palle Yourgrau, a professor of philosophy at Brandeis University, stands to correct. Despite his fine nose for human interest, which he sprinkles liberally over the pages, this is not a book for beginners, as it requires more than a smithereen of background (but not a phd) in modern physics and mathematical logic. For those who wield some command of these subjects 'A world without time' is a delightfully original read.
Einstein was impressed, though slightly disapppointed that his theory hadn't been the final word on time after all. Both giants of science continued to discuss the possibility the rest of their lives. The rest of science has found the idea so counterintuitive that it has hardly been explored.
This is what Palle Yourgrau, a professor of philosophy at Brandeis University, stands to correct. Despite his fine nose for human interest, which he sprinkles liberally over the pages, this is not a book for beginners, as it requires more than a smithereen of background (but not a phd) in modern physics and mathematical logic. For those who wield some command of these subjects 'A world without time' is a delightfully original read.
By J P Jones
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A most enjoyable and informative read. The author has offers insights into the views of these two intellectual giants, sets their beliefs in the broader context of science and philosophy in the 20th century, and gives good account of the unresolved issue of the reality of time. Knowing little of philosophy, I am unable to gauge the significance of Godel's philosophical views but get a clear sense of
By B. Adams
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I find it very hard to take this book seriously. The first half of the book seems to be mostly a settling of scores - obviously Yourgrau has more than a few axes to grind, probably stemming from years of debate about Godel's place in the scientific and philosophical pantheon - and the book is littered with examples of Yourgrau attempting to settle scores, some more subtle than others. He even resorts to that lowest of low arguments in any debate, a direct comparison with Nazism.
Then when it comes to explaining Godel's discovery, it basically boils down to Godel's version of the ontological argument which Yourgrau states as being 'complex and subtle'. Unfortunately there's nothing complex or subtle about the ontological argument. There is much confusion and muddled thinking in it, however, and I fear that this is the main reason Godel's expositions about time - or its non-existence - are not that popular. They're simply not that good.
Alas, Yourgrau believes otherwise and spends a great deal of time trying to convince the reader of that. In this, he failed utterly in my case. I came away from reading this book thinking Godel was a deeply flawed human being who made some notable contributions to logic and mathematics, but who was ridiculously out of his depth in many other areas of intellectual pursuit. That is probably the exact opposite of what the author intended.
In short, this book is a great example of why philosophers shouldn't write about science.
Then when it comes to explaining Godel's discovery, it basically boils down to Godel's version of the ontological argument which Yourgrau states as being 'complex and subtle'. Unfortunately there's nothing complex or subtle about the ontological argument. There is much confusion and muddled thinking in it, however, and I fear that this is the main reason Godel's expositions about time - or its non-existence - are not that popular. They're simply not that good.
Alas, Yourgrau believes otherwise and spends a great deal of time trying to convince the reader of that. In this, he failed utterly in my case. I came away from reading this book thinking Godel was a deeply flawed human being who made some notable contributions to logic and mathematics, but who was ridiculously out of his depth in many other areas of intellectual pursuit. That is probably the exact opposite of what the author intended.
In short, this book is a great example of why philosophers shouldn't write about science.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Godel and Einstein.
While I have a cousin that is a Catholic Priest, but have not good words about the Pope and the Priests, this does not means that I love not very much a member of my family, like... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Giovanni A. Orlando
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the place to begin with philosophy of space and time.
Since about 1991, Palle Yourgrau has been making something of a career out of grossly over-stating the philosophical importance of Gödel's work on time, and specifically... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2008 by Brian Flange
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is why philosopher shouldn't be allowed to write books
Philosophers seem to be people who aren't quite talented enough to do a real subject and this book is exhibit one for the prosecution. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2008 by Danny of Arabia
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