Over the years, Dr. Gimbel’s wonderful essays have graced the pages of J Bloglandia 1:1 and 2:2, and now, lucky world, he has a whole book on Einstein! Yay!
“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.”
Einstein’s Jewish Science, Physics at the Intersection of Politics and Religion, by Steven Gimbel, John Hopkins University Press, ISBN 9781421405544
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It is interesting how many wells the Nazis poisoned. I am reviewing a book for Library Thing on the development of the German Air Force during WWII. The authors complain how difficult it was to get material for what is a part of aviation history. Simply due to the fact that this was the NAZIS air force.