1. The Need of New Approaches - Kritische Stimmen zur ...

Chapter 9: The Thought Experiment
Relativitätstheorie [theory of relativity], Unterdrückung [suppression], Wissenschaftsfreiheit [scientific freedom],
Ekkehard, Friebe, Jocelyne, Lopez, Walter, Babin, Watergate, Physik [physics], Dr., Annette, Schavan, Prof.,
Jürgen, Richter, Wolf, Singer, Markus, Pössel, Katja, Kipping, Jörn, Wunderlich, Covance, Münster, Tierversuche
[experimentation on animals], Tierrechte [animal rights], Tierschutz [protection of animals], Moralische
Verantwortung [moral responsibility].”
Wiersma, Otto B. - HP
www.ottobw.dds.nl/filosofie/consciousness.htmhttp://
Conscious In Time - The Bergson-Einstein-debate about the Duration of SpaceTime.
10 Mar. 2005 – 24 Nov 2005 (last update)
keywords: consciousness, duration, spacetime, metaphysics, poliphysics
Introduction
The book of Bergson (Durée et simultanéité. À propos de la théorie d’Einstein. 1922) and the debate between
the two scientists at a meeting, convened by the Philosophical Society of Paris, marked the fall of Bergson’s and
the rise of Einstein’s star. Although part of the debate seemed to deal with technical details (e.g. the interpretation
of the geometrical models used by Einstein and the role of the observer), the real clash was the one between
metaphysics and poliphysics (as mix of politics and physics). As introduction to the Bergson-Einstein debate, I like
to sketch a frame of reference related to two keywords in the debate (consciousness and time) and related to the
year 1922. [...]
The year 1922
1992 was an interesting year for the history of science in general and the history of Relativity Theory (RT) in
particular. In this essay we focus on the Einstein-Bergson-debate, but during that year some other developments
took place that (in combination) seemed to change RT from physics into poliphysics.
Einstein was not only active in the field of physics, but profiled himself also politically as pacifist opponent of
the German aggression that lead to World-War I. This triggered some opponents of his physical theory to use
antisemitism as ‘argument’ in the physical debate. Mueller (2004,1.2) writes [originally quoted in German, here
translated]:
“The first significant physical treatise with anti-Semitic comments dates back to July 1922: LENARD,
PHILIPP: On Ether and Original Ether. 2nd, increased edition, with a word of warning for German scientists. -
Leipzig: Hirzel 1922. 66 pages. With his “word of warning“ Lenard had begun a disastrous onset of political
agitation in the physical professional discussion that, ten years later, would become the official politics over a 12year
period, with the seizure of power by the National Socialists in Germany.”
Mueller analyzed 3789 critical publications regarding the RT for antisemitic ‘arguing’, and found [originally
quoted in German, here translated]:
“From around 3789 critical publications, the number so far established as anti-Semitic are: - 15 authors, of
which 14 German; - altogether 18 publications, of which 17 German; - only works from the years 1920-1944.” And
although the percentage of this antisemitic ‘arguing’ was very limited, it backfired during the next decades in a very
awkward way: critics of RT who concentrated completely on the physical arguments, were nevertheless accused of
antisemitic sentiments. Together with the concealment of the physical criticism, this approach appeared to be a
quick and dirty way to ‘win’ the ‘debates’ about RT. [OBW TODO how often this happened? – percentage of the
3789 publications analyzed by Mueller?] (...)
In 1922 there was another signal that RT was moving out of reach of any criticism. Mueller (2004, 1.2)
[originally quoted in German, here translated]: “On the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the Gesellschaft
deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte [Society of German Scientists and Doctors] held in Leipzig in September 1922,
two hymnic lectures on the theory of relativity were given by Max v. Laue and Moritz Schlick, whereas no lecture
by any of the critics was permitted and no discussion of the theory was conducted. Whereas the relativists until then
had met all of the major point of criticism with silence, with this they had succeeded in preventing its public
appearance. This situation has not changed since then.”
This was in the eyes of Mueller a “kalte Machtergreifung der Relativisten” [cold seizure of power by the
relativists], and it meant a revolution of the physical debate [originally quoted in German, here translated]: “The
real revolution, however, took place in the introduction of the question of power as a means of deciding the truth
and correctness of physical theories: this revolution, despite 8 decades of success, was doomed to failure right from
the start.””
2012
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G. O. Mueller: STR