Defending Einstein From the New Barbarians
[Andrew Leonard is a staff writer at Salon]
Paul Fishbane, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Virginia, is making a bit of a stretch when he compares a nascent right-wing attack on Einstein's theory of general relativity to the condemnation of so-called "Jewish Physics" organized by the Nazis. But that doesn't make "Time Warp," his essay on Einstein, relativity, science and politics any less fascinating. (Thanks to Steve Silberman for the tip.) The practice of science is in sore need of eloquent and profound defenders these days. Fishbane delivers.
Fishbane's evidence for a modern day conservative assault on Einstein's theories of space and time mostly boils down to an entry in Conservapedia, the right-wing alternative to Wikipedia. In my universe, it is just not possible to take seriously a source which cites Jesus Christ's act of turning water into wine as a counterexample to general relativity. I like my cult superstitions and my science kept separated, thank you very much....
Read entire article at Salon
Paul Fishbane, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Virginia, is making a bit of a stretch when he compares a nascent right-wing attack on Einstein's theory of general relativity to the condemnation of so-called "Jewish Physics" organized by the Nazis. But that doesn't make "Time Warp," his essay on Einstein, relativity, science and politics any less fascinating. (Thanks to Steve Silberman for the tip.) The practice of science is in sore need of eloquent and profound defenders these days. Fishbane delivers.
Fishbane's evidence for a modern day conservative assault on Einstein's theories of space and time mostly boils down to an entry in Conservapedia, the right-wing alternative to Wikipedia. In my universe, it is just not possible to take seriously a source which cites Jesus Christ's act of turning water into wine as a counterexample to general relativity. I like my cult superstitions and my science kept separated, thank you very much....