| Faust in Copenhagen – A Struggle for the Soul of Physics |
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bridges vol. 15, Sept 2007 / Book Review by Johannes Strobl mp3 download 
Faust in Copenhagen - A Struggle for the Soul of Physics by Gino Segrè
In Goethe's classic drama, the devil Mephistopheles lures Faust - discontent with his limited wisdom - into a bargain that grants Faust universal insight and the love of the adorable virgin Gretchen in exchange for his soul. Written by the German physicist Max Delbrück who later received the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering work in molecular biology, the skit satirizes the formation of quantum mechanics and makes fun of its founding fathers who took a seat in the first row - Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac, Paul Ehrenfest, Max Delbrück, and Lise Meitner, the only experimentalist in the group. Only one seat reserved for the revolutionaries remained empty. Mischievous Austrian Wolfgang Pauli - legendary both for his aphorisms and his inclination to Lucullian pleasures - preferred to go on vacation instead. Viennese Ehrenfest at times addressed him as Sanct Pauli, an allusion to the red light district in Hamburg, while Pauli in return signed his letters as "Scourge of God" (Geißel Gottes). Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
