Einstein and the Birth of Big Science

Author: Peter Kolchin, Xingmin Liu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Many contemporary scientists are playing a dangerous game with truth. They push their research results selectively to the media, hoping to secure a share of the scarce research funding in the brutal competition. This may bring short-term benefits, but in the long run, it can only worsen the relationship between science and society. The image of scientists as preachers can only lead to alienation and further loss of public respect. Science is not religion, and it should not pretend to be so. Albert Einstein is an undisputed genius whose mathematical insights revolutionized cosmology. He stands shoulder to shoulder with other giants in physics—Copernicus, Galileo, Newton—but he is more important than any of them, instantly recognizable. Einstein is a popular totem, a Marilyn Monroe of science. How did this happen? When Einstein's ideas were still confined to the esoteric realms of a few experts, what could have made him an idol of the world? The answer lies in a cultural phenomenon—the birth of big science. The 20th century witnessed unprecedented advances in science and technology. However, the pursuit of knowledge led scientists into realms far removed from everyday experience, areas that could only be reached with expensive experimental equipment. The reach of scientific research defines the domain of big science. This little book not only introduces Einstein's key ideas but also offers fascinating insights into the sociological conflicts between big science and mass culture, conflicts that are as real today as they were in Einstein's time.