The Cambridge companion to Einstein / edited by Michel Janssen, University of Minnesota, Christoph Lehner, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Janssen, Michel, 1960- editor.

Lehner, Christoph, 1962- editor.

Series:

Cambridge companions to philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955.

Einstein, Albert.

Physicists--Biography.

Physicists.

Physics--History--20th century.

Physics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 562 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2014.

System Details:

Mode of Access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

This volume is the first systematic presentation of the work of Albert Einstein, comprising fourteen essays by leading historians and philosophers of science that introduce readers to his work. Following an introduction that places Einstein's work in the context of his life and times, the book opens with essays on the papers of Einstein's 'miracle year', 1905, covering Brownian motion, light quanta, and special relativity, as well as his contributions to early quantum theory and the opposition to his light quantum hypothesis. Further essays relate Einstein's path to the general theory of relativity (1915) and the beginnings of two fields it spawned, relativistic cosmology and gravitational waves. Essays on Einstein's later years examine his unified field theory program and his critique of quantum mechanics. The closing essays explore the relation between Einstein's work and twentieth-century philosophy, as well as his political writings.

Contents:

Introduction / Michel Janssen and Christoph Lehner

Einstein's Copernican Revolution / Jèurgen Renn and Robert Rynasiewicz

Einstein's special theory of relativity and the problems in the electrodynamics of moving bodies that led him to it / John D. Norton

Einstein on statistical physics: fluctuations and atomism / A.J. Kox

The quantum enigma / Olivier Darrigol

The experimental challenge of light quanta / Roger H. Stuewer

"No success like failure...": Einstein's quest for general relativity, 1907-1920 / Michel Janssen

Einstein's role in the creation of Relativistic Cosmology / Christopher Smeenk

Einstein, gravitational waves, and the theoretician's regress / Daniel J. Kennefick

Einstein's unified field theory program / Tilman Sauer

Einstein's realism and his critique of quantum mechanics / Christoph Lehner

Einstein and the development of twentieth-century philosophy of science / Don Howard

"A believing rationalist": Einstein and "the truly valuable" in Kant / Thomas Ryckman

Space, time, and geometry / Michael Friedman

Einstein's politics / Robert Schulmann

Appendix: Special relativity / Michel Janssen.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 09 Nov 2015).

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

9781139024525 (ebook)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.