Re: "perfect" nature

In reality Einstein hardly thought that the Holocaust, war, apartheid, McCarthyism &c were features of a perfect world. One of the big contradictions in Eisnetin's life is that between his belief in complete determinism in physics and his passionate appeals & efforts for change in the human realm.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Don Winterstein
  To: asa@calvin.edu ; Randy Isaac
  Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 2:26 AM
  Subject: Re: "perfect" nature

  A. Einstein wrote:

  "As a scientist, I believe that nature is a perfect structure...."

  Well, we need to keep in mind that, although he was speaking "as a scientist," Albert was just expressing gut feelings. He admitted to being entranced with the beauty of his own General Relativity and other big concepts of physics and geometry. But he never was comfortable with the idea that QM and the real world were at deepest levels compatible. If he felt he had to swallow QM, he might have felt nature was a bit less than perfect.

  Don

  PS - I just spent an afternoon at an outstanding Einstein exhibit in LA's Skirball Cultural Center (Jewish). Spanned his entire life and range of thought. Included several hand-written original pages of manuscripts on Special and General Relativity. And copies of love notes. Was funded in part by the J. Paul Getty Foundation. I think it's going to be traveling. I recommend it if it comes to a place near you.

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Randy Isaac
    To: asa@calvin.edu
    Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 9:26 AM
    Subject: "perfect" nature

    A week or two ago there was a thread on this list about the meaning of "good" and "perfect" creation. With that in mind, I couldn't help but note the quote from Albert Einstein as featured on the January 2005 calendar page of the American Institute of Physics calendar:

    "As a scientist, I believe that nature is a perfect structure, seen from the standpoint of reason and logical analysis" A. Einstein to Raymond Benenson, January 31, 1946, Einstein Archives 56-505.

    We would consider the nature that he is observing to be a "post-Fall" nature, whatever that chronology might mean. Does his quote leave open the prospect that perhaps there are other standpoints from which nature is not perfect? Not that they would be illogical or unreasonable, but perhaps a spiritual perspective?

    Randy
Received on Fri Jan 28 12:47:39 2005