Title: Einstein’s
War – How Relativity Conquered Nationalism and Shook the World
Author: Matthew Stanley
Publisher: Viking Penguin, 2019
(First)
ISBN: 9780241376584
Pages: 390
Einstein’s famous
equation E = mc2 so revolutionized science that researchers turned
to nuclear fission as a kind of weapon. Even though Einstein's contribution in
the theory, development and explosion of the first two nuclear bombs is
negligible, the public perceives him as the genius who influenced the outcome
of World War II. This makes the readers think about the Second World War upon
seeing the book’s title. Interestingly, this is not the case. The book deals
with World War I when Einstein published his theory on general relativity in wartime
Germany and how Arthur Eddington, a pacifist British scientist, arranged an
expedition around the world to verify the theory coming from an enemy country.
It sings the paean of the international spirit of science transcending national
boundaries and soaring above parochial politics of the ruling classes. It also
serves as a warning note by narrating the experiences of several other
scientists who fell for the prevailing public opinion and invented devices to
inflict gruesome death on enemy soldiers and civilians. Matthew Stanley is a
professor of the history of science at New York University’s Gallatin School of
Individualized Study. He has published two academic books and this is his first
trade book. Judging by the quality of research and presentation, we can be
fairly certain that we’d see more of the author in the coming years.
As it claims, the book
is all about watching the development of relativity brick by brick, from
thought experiments to radical concepts to experimental confirmation. It
follows a dual track narrative, explaining the life and work of Albert Einstein
and Arthur Eddington in alternating chapters and sections. Eddington’s role is paramount
in defining the genius of Einstein. He worked against all odds in a British
setting. Being a Quaker, he refused to fight in the Great War. This was at a
time when the casualty figures of the war was so great that the British
government mopped up all men of fighting age irrespective of their talent,
education or natural bent. This indiscriminate conscription wasted the lives of
many promising scientists in the killing fields of continental Europe.
Relativity was a complicated, abstract theory beyond the ken of most people
including scientists. Eddington untiringly studied the theory, braving wartime
censoring of information coming from enemy territory and developed textbooks
for general use. He also conducted speeches to elucidate the theory to ordinary
folk and built a support base for efforts to verify the predictions of the
theory. Einstein predicted that gravity deflected the path of light as if it
had mass. The precise value over which the deviation would take place was also
estimated by theory. Eddington arranged two teams which travelled to Brazil and
Africa to observe the total solar eclipse of 1919 and to measure the actual
deflection. A shift of 1.75 arc seconds was expected, corresponding to 1/60 of
an mm on photographic plates and this was observed by the team. It tallied with
Relativity’s prediction and Einstein's fame was made. The author affirms that
without Eddington, Einstein would not have become such an intellectual giant as
he eventually turned out to be.
This book exposes the
mutual distrust and hatred developed between the scientists of Britain and
Germany during the Great War. Intense nationalism clouded the judgement of
intellectuals, forcing some of them to condone war crimes perpetrated by their
national armies. Scientific journals omitted contributions by the ‘Other’. Even
great scientists succumbed to blind nationalism. British scientist Chadwick was
working under Geiger in Germany. When Geiger knew of the arrest of Chadwick
during wartime as a preventive measure, he replied that Chadwick was atoning
for the sins of the English. Fritz Haber, who revolutionized agriculture with
the invention of nitrogen fixing and artificial fertilizers, turned to
industrial production of chlorine and mustard gas for poisoning the enemy. Haber
was so taken in with appearances that he wore his military uniform, complete
with rank, to the lab every day. Stanley provides many other examples of how
militant nationalism upset the society’s wisdom gained through centuries of
adaptation.
The author has provided
some nice anecdotes and funny quotes often associated with Einstein. It is
believed that he was not good at mathematics. Stanley remarks that this belief
gives comfort to generations of frustrated high school algebra students, but Einstein’s
remark was just in comparison to the company he kept. He was brilliant in mathematics,
but when he associated on a daily basis with the world's most talented
mathematicians, his inadequacy found expression in the self-mocking quip. The
deepest truth of the universe needed to be accessed by abstract mathematics,
not by empirical experience. Proficiency in mathematics is an absolute
necessity in such cases.
Einstein was a genius of
the first rate. But that does not mean that he was a good human being or even a
good citizen. He spurned nationalism and clung on to his Swiss citizenship to
evade military duties. He had earlier renounced his German citizenship when he
obtained a job in the Swiss patent office. He had no moral or cultural
affiliation to his homeland. This was polished with fine arguments on the internationalism
of science. However, this did not hinder him from associating with Zionism
later in his life. Einstein rejoiced when Germany was defeated in the war and
asked Max Planck to cheer himself up on the abdication of the German Kaiser.
Plank’s reply to Einstein was arresting. He said “I feel something that you admittedly will not be able to understand at
all… namely, a reverence for and an unshatterable solidarity with the state to
which I belong about which I am proud of – and especially so in its misfortune –
and which is embodied in the person of the monarch”. A tinge of remorse
must have been generated in Einstein's mind on reading this reply.
The book contains
flashes of the great scientist’s biography which makes the readers reflect on
the stunted growth of human emotions in him. Einstein met his first wife Mileva
quite early in his life and never even saw the first child born out of the
relationship after she was adopted by his wife's family. The matrimony did not
last long after he began an illicit affair with his own cousin Elsa. As the
first wife was not legally divorced, he couldn't marry again. He was niggardly
when the time finally came to pay alimony. The 8000 francs that was settled upon
was conditional on receiving his Nobel Prize money. Einstein soon developed so passionate
a bond with his lover’s grown-up daughter that he left the decision of whom to
marry to be decided between the mother and daughter. This volume is extraordinarily
candid in unveiling all aspects of the lives of its protagonists, even though
they often fail to live up to their stature in their personal lives. Eddington
refused to join the war effort on account of religious beliefs which forbade it.
This was also a case of a reputed scientist blindly following religion.
The book is a pleasure
to read and appreciates the scientific principles involved. Abstract concepts
are lucidly explained and do not cause a problem to any. The research for this
book is made only from secondary sources but the author has carefully categorized
and arranged the facts so that they appear fresh. The message it gives to the
world is relevant even after a century of the events described in it. The flag
of internationalism it holds up should be a pointer to today's world.
The book is highly
recommended.
Rating: 4 Star
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