Unity Between The Material & Mystical
As commemorations go, this one is unique. The UN has declared 2005 as The International Year of Physics'. A year of physics? Why should anybody outside the limited fraternity of physicists or other scientists be interested in it? By bestowing this honour on physics, the UN has put the spotlight on a theory whose revolutionary meaning transcends the bounds of science. It has also paid tribute to one of the greatest scientists of all times, who, nevertheless, was more than a man of science. In 1905. Albert Einstein propounded the special theory of relativity, which radically altered science's understanding of the basic building blocks of our universe - matter, space, time and energy. It also catalysed a renewed debate on the relationship between science and religion. The rudimentary truths about the special theory of relativity-so named to distinguish it from the general theory of relativity that Einstein developed in 1915 have by now percolated into popular consciousness. Even a lay person has heard about the equation E=mc², which states that a tiny amount of mass can convert into a colossal amount of energy. The constancy of the speed of light, as also its status as the fastest moving entity, has also become common knowledge. The theory blurred the distinction between particles and waves and, since then, quantum physics' fascination with what some scientists have termed "Nataraja's dance" in the subatomic microcosm has not ceased. However, Einstein did not agree with the philosophical fuzziness that some postulates in quantum physics, especially Heisenberg's famous "uncertainty principle", had created. He refused to accept that the most basic behaviour of subatomic particles was "probabilistic" and governed by statistics. He immortalised his position with a quote- "Gott wurfelt nicht!" (God does not play dice with the universe). A new book, God in the Equation: How Einstein Became the Prophet of a New Religious Era by Corey Powell, describes his search for scientific truth as an "inher ently spiritual endeavour". Einstein, whose theories won him two Nobel prizes. believed in the unity not only between matter and energy but also between the material and the mystical. Declaring that "Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind", he said, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man". However, he was against the "religion of fear". Hе considered it "a primitive and destructive stage" in the development of mankind. "I can not imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose pur poses are modelled after our own-a God, in short, who is buy a reflection of human frailty". He was con vinced that "the further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religio sity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through the striving after rational knowledge". For a scientist whose theories facilitated making of the nuclear bomb, Einstein was a crusader for world peace. A courageous champion of the ideals of social ism, he held that the salva tion for humanity lay in the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. A portrait of the Mahatma adorned his modest two-storied house at Princeton University. In short, the significance of the 'UN Year of Physics' goes be yond the magic of a famous 1905 equation. It is a call to revisit Einstein in totality.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Sudheendra Kulkarni kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Sudheendra Kulkarni Speaking Tree , Times of India
Unity Between The Material & Mystical
As commemorations go, this one is unique. The UN has declared 2005 as The International Year of Physics'. A year of physics? Why should anybody outside the limited fraternity of physicists or other scientists be interested in it? By bestowing this honour on physics, the UN has put the spotlight on a theory whose revolutionary meaning transcends the bounds of science. It has also paid tribute to one of the greatest scientists of all times, who, nevertheless, was more than a man of science. In 1905. Albert Einstein propounded the special theory of relativity, which radically altered science's understanding of the basic building blocks of our universe - matter, space, time and energy. It also catalysed a renewed debate on the relationship between science and religion. The rudimentary truths about the special theory of relativity-so named to distinguish it from the general theory of relativity that Einstein developed in 1915 have by now percolated into popular consciousness. Even a lay person has heard about the equation E=mc², which states that a tiny amount of mass can convert into a colossal amount of energy. The constancy of the speed of light, as also its status as the fastest moving entity, has also become common knowledge. The theory blurred the distinction between particles and waves and, since then, quantum physics' fascination with what some scientists have termed "Nataraja's dance" in the subatomic microcosm has not ceased. However, Einstein did not agree with the philosophical fuzziness that some postulates in quantum physics, especially Heisenberg's famous "uncertainty principle", had created. He refused to accept that the most basic behaviour of subatomic particles was "probabilistic" and governed by statistics. He immortalised his position with a quote- "Gott wurfelt nicht!" (God does not play dice with the universe). A new book, God in the Equation: How Einstein Became the Prophet of a New Religious Era by Corey Powell, describes his search for scientific truth as an "inher ently spiritual endeavour". Einstein, whose theories won him two Nobel prizes. believed in the unity not only between matter and energy but also between the material and the mystical. Declaring that "Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind", he said, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man". However, he was against the "religion of fear". Hе considered it "a primitive and destructive stage" in the development of mankind. "I can not imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose pur poses are modelled after our own-a God, in short, who is buy a reflection of human frailty". He was con vinced that "the further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religio sity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through the striving after rational knowledge". For a scientist whose theories facilitated making of the nuclear bomb, Einstein was a crusader for world peace. A courageous champion of the ideals of social ism, he held that the salva tion for humanity lay in the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. A portrait of the Mahatma adorned his modest two-storied house at Princeton University. In short, the significance of the 'UN Year of Physics' goes be yond the magic of a famous 1905 equation. It is a call to revisit Einstein in totality.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Sudheendra Kulkarni kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Sudheendra Kulkarni Speaking Tree , Times of India