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Originally Posted by RascalPuff  Dear Bob Campbell:
My understanding is that Einstein was back to working on his abandoned cosmological constant - field theory based continuous universe - when he perished. Would you please provide some documentation or references to confirm your contrary reports of Einstein's viewpoints out of his later years?
Are you familiar with Einstein's abandoned cosmological constant and the steady state theory as it relates to Einstein's - also abandoned - unified field theory? My understanding is that Einstein was in search of a Grand Unified - continuous - Field Theory, up to the time of his death at Princeton. Could you direct me to the informations you know of that indicate the contrary? What you say of Einstein's abandonment of his life's work is something I have never heard of before. Please respond.
Regards
- RP |
Dear RascalPuff,
Einstein made the comment about believing it possible that physics could not be based on continuous structures in a letter to his friend Michele Besso. From many other of his comments from many sources it seems clear that he was disturbed about the whole direction of physics, including Big Bang Cosmology. He was acknowledging serious doubts about the whole edifice of modern physics, including his own work. This does not mean that he outright abandoned his work. He was committed to a seach for truth and it was a credit to him that he would bring hiw own work into question. He was not one given to promoting or defending his own career at any cost. (I am familiar with Einstein's work and am one of his fans.)
Please note that a discontinuously projected physical universe does not mean that there is no phenomenal experience of continuity to it. If you reflect carefully on my TOE Article "Gravity & the Void: Tip of a TOE Iceberg" you may see that there is a lot more to it. This is not easy to fully appreciate without also studying my website articles.
Another of Einstein's quotes goes as follows:
"... Many kinds of men devote themselves to science, and not all of them for the sake of science herself. There are some who come to her temple because it offers them the opportunity to display their particular talents. To this class af men science is a kind of sport in the practice of which they exhult, just as an athelete exults in in the exercise of his muscular prowess. There is another class of men who come into the temple to make an offering of their brain pulp in the hope of securing a profitable return. These men are scientists only by the chance of circumstance which offered itself when making a chouice for a career. If the attending circumstances had been different, they might have become politicians or captains of business. Should an angel of God descend and drive from the temple of science all those who belong to the categories I have mentioned, I fear the temple would be nearly emptied. But a few worshippers would still remain - some from former times and some from ours. To these latter belongs our Plank. And that is why we love him." (From a Tribute to Max Planck.)
Best regards,
Bob.