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The Physicist and the Philosopher
- Einstein, Bergson, and the Debate That Changed Our Understanding of Time
- Narrated by: Kevin Free
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
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The Physicist and the Philosopher
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Summary
On April 6, 1922, in Paris, Albert Einstein and Henri Bergson publicly debated the nature of time. Einstein considered Bergson's theory of time to be a soft, psychological notion, irreconcilable with the quantitative realities of physics. Bergson, who gained fame as a philosopher by arguing that time should not be understood exclusively through the lens of science, criticized Einstein's theory of time for being a metaphysics grafted onto science, one that ignored the intuitive aspects of time. The Physicist and the Philosopher tells the remarkable story of how this explosive debate transformed our understanding of time and drove a rift between science and the humanities that persists today.
Jimena Canales introduces listeners to the revolutionary ideas of Einstein and Bergson, describes how they dramatically collided in Paris, and traces how this clash of worldviews reverberated across the 20th century. She shows how it provoked responses from figures such as Bertrand Russell and Martin Heidegger and carried repercussions for American pragmatism, logical positivism, phenomenology, and quantum mechanics. Canales explains how the new technologies of the period - such as wristwatches, radio, and film - helped to shape people's conceptions of time and further polarized the public debate. She also discusses how Bergson and Einstein, toward the ends of their lives, each reflected on his rival's legacy - Bergson during the Nazi occupation of Paris and Einstein in the context of the first hydrogen bomb explosion.
The Physicist and the Philosopher reveals how scientific truth was placed on trial in a divided century marked by a new sense of time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Paul Marsden
- 11-12-22
Fascinating history immaculately written
This wonderful retelling of the dramatic relationship between Einstein and Bergson. Recounting and weaving all the discoveries in physics and philosophical theories at the turn of the 20th century.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- imakubex
- 16-10-22
Fascinating intellectual history
This book touches way more than just the debate and discusses the entire intellectual milieu during the formative period of modern physics
Fascinating work and provided a bunch of references and stuff to think about. Highly recommended
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Daren Messenger Samard Chisti
- 20-02-20
Useful backstory illuminating limits of science
This took a while to get into but was worth it. Next stop Deleuze! yes
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- Greg Gauthier
- 18-01-19
Incredibly engrossing, despite uneven reading
The author's treatment of the subject was mind blowing, covering everything from the personal psychology of these two men, to the social history of the debate, to the global politics, and finally the science and metaphysics involved in the questions swirling around the debate. What debate? The nature of space and time, and how we come to know that nature. It's a debate as old as Parmenides and Heraclitus, and thier names even pop up in the later chapters.
The reader was clear and well paced, but there were a number of bad edits, and the reader really struggled with German pronunciations. Which is unfortunate, since he had to read the titles of numerous scientific publications by Einstein, Reichenbach, and others, as well as the names of several German newspapers and organizations.
Despite this, I would still strongly recommend the book to the layman looking for clarity on one of western civilization's most pressing and enduring philosophical questions.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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- james hogg
- 12-02-21
not what it says on the tin
rambling repetitive chapters. I was expecting so much more. The book refers often to the meeting between the two protagnists but never fully gives voice to this meeting. Disappointing.
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