Einstein's Jewish Science: Physics at the Intersection of Politics and Religion
Finalist for the Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award of the Jewish Book Council
Is relativity Jewish? The Nazis denigrated Albert Einstein's revolutionary theory by calling it "Jewish science," a charge typical of the ideological excesses of Hitler and his followers. Philosopher of science Steven Gimbel explores the many meanings of this provocative phrase and considers whether there is any sense in which Einstein's theory of relativity is Jewish.
Arguing that we must take seriously the possibility that the Nazis were in some measure correct, Gimbel examines Einstein and his work to explore how beliefs, background, and environment may--or may not--have influenced the work of the scientist. You cannot understand Einstein's science, Gimbel declares, without knowing the history, religion, and philosophy that influenced it.
No one, especially Einstein himself, denies Einstein's Jewish heritage, but many are uncomfortable saying that he was being a Jew while he was at his desk working. To understand what "Jewish" means for Einstein's work, Gimbel first explores the many definitions of "Jewish" and asks whether there are elements of Talmudic thinking apparent in Einstein's theory of relativity. He applies this line of inquiry to other scientists, including Isaac Newton, René Descartes, Sigmund Freud, and Émile Durkheim, to consider whether their specific religious beliefs or backgrounds manifested in their scientific endeavors.
Einstein's Jewish Science intertwines science, history, philosophy, theology, and politics in fresh and fascinating ways to solve the multifaceted riddle of what religion means--and what it means to science. There are some senses, Gimbel claims, in which Jews can find a special connection to E = mc2, and this claim leads to the engaging, spirited debate at the heart of this book.
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Steven Gimbel is the Edwin T. and Cynthia Shearer Johnson Professor for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities and chair of the Department of Philosophy at Gettysburg College, where he won the Luther and Bernice Johnson Award for Distinguished Teaching. He is author of Exploring the Scientific Method: Cases and Questions; René Descartes: The Search for Certainty; and Defending Einstein: Hans Reichenbach's Writings on Space, Time, and Motion.
"The ugly, public assault on Einstein in early 1920s Germany is the starting point... The attack on Einstein is thoroughly and clearly described and placed in its historical and political context. There is no better English-language source on the topic. But Gimbel quickly turns the whole question upside down, asking with more than a little, deliberate irony whether there might not, in fact, be some truth to the characterization of Einstein's physics as, in some sense, 'Jewish.' What follows is a fascinating and enlightening discussion of many aspects of the scientific, philosophical, religious, cultural, and political history of the 20th century that examines the many different ways in which one might understand the suggestion that Einstein's physics expresses or reflects something distinctively Jewish."
--Don Howard "Physics Today ""Reaching back into the first half of the twentieth century, Gimbel returns with absorbing stories about Albert Einstein and his life as a politician, brilliant scientist, and Jew."
--Fred Reiss "San Diego Jewish World ""Gimbel is an engaging writer... he takes readers on enlightening excursions through the nature of Judaism, Hegelian philosophy, wherever his curiosity leads."
--George Johnson "New York Times ""In this wide-ranging exploration, Gimbel... seeks to discover whether and to what extent Einstein's work could legitimately be called 'Jewish' and what difference it makes."
--Publishers Weekly"Gimbel spins out what could have been a mere provocation into a wide-ranging and entertaining collision of science, history, philosophy, and religion."
--Zocalo Public Square"[A] lively, intentionally provocative and wholly compelling inquiry into the Jewishness of Einstein himself and the world-changing scientific revolution that he set in motion."
--Jonathan Kirsch "Jewish Journal ""For anyone interested in the history and philosophy of science, this book is well worth reading to its delightful conclusion."
--Rivqa Rafael "Cosmos ""The author explores the question of whether a scientist's religious and cultural/ethnic heritage colors the way he/she does science."
--Choice"The author and his book do a wonderful job in framing the time, and the science, and the politics, and the religion."
--Howard Blumenthal "Digital Insider ""To understand Gimbel's argument about the Jewish quality of Einstein's approach--and to perceive the boldness of Gimbel's decision to re-examine twentieth-century, anti-Semitic ideas about 'Jewish science'--it's necessary first to understand the historical moment out of which the theory of relativity emerged."
--Donald Goldsmith "Tikkun "
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