Max Bernhard Weinstein

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Max Bernhard Weinstein (1910)

Max Bernhard Weinstein (born September 1, 1852 in Kovno , Russia (today: Kaunas , Lithuania ), † March 25, 1918 in Berlin ) was a German physicist and philosopher .

Life

In 1883 Weinstein translated the main work of James Clerk Maxwell A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism and he also translated Maxwell's Elementary treatise on electricity (German edition: Die Electrizität in elementarer treatment , 1883). In 1886 he completed his habilitation under Hermann von Helmholtz and became a private lecturer in physics and geophysics (geography) at Berlin University . During this time he worked with Max Planck , Emil du Bois-Reymond , Wilhelm Wien , August Kundt , Ernst Pringsheim senior , Werner von Siemens , Theodor Mommsen and Wilhelm Scherer , among others . In 1895 he became adjunct professor.

Weinstein was a secret councilor and deputy director of the imperial standard calibration commission and worked at the patent office. From 1911 he was a member of the Kant Society .

Contributions to physics

Weinstein was involved in the imperial standard calibration commission, most recently as deputy director, and wrote an extensive manual of physical measurements (1988).

Weinstein was one of the first in the world to massively criticize Einstein's theory of relativity . He described the introduction of the principle of relativity as a misfortune for science:

"... when the meaning of this principle ... was expanded so immeasurably that the most foolish allegations were joined by an unbearable intolerance towards those of different opinions, which is almost like a medieval compulsion to believe."

- Max Bernhard Weinstein : The theory of relativity and the view of the world

For Lewis Pyenson, Weinstein's treatises on the theory of relativity are nothing but "tedious exercises in algebra" (German: "boring algebra exercises"). Weinstein's criticism and the resulting public resentment against the theory of relativity led to Einstein being asked to explain his ideas even more comprehensibly. The astronomer Wilhelm Foerster asked him for this .

Contributions to philosophy

Weinstein wrote with his work Welt- und Lebensanschauungen emerged from religion, philosophy and natural knowledge (Leipzig 1910) the most comprehensive presentation of the idea of pandeism , a kind of animism , metaphysically shaped pantheism (“God is the universe”) and the Deism ("God created the universe") combined. This idea is characterized by: "Pandeism: This is the belief that God created the universe, is now one with it, and therefore not a separate conscious being." Since God is not a person, the logical consequence of this is that he is not Must be worshiped.

According to Weinstein, this view corresponds above all to the idea of ​​the ancient Indian Brahma and the Buddhist Nirvana.

“In the Bhagavad-Gītā, Krishna-Vishnu says of himself to the Arjuna: he is the origin and fall of all things, the power in all things and the appearances, fragrance in wine, shine in the sun, moon and stars, sound in the word, even everyone Letter, every song, Himalayan mountains, fig tree, horse, human being, snake (every animal in general), every season. As he afterwards shows himself to Arjuna as a deity, he sees, besides infinite radiance, the universe united in him:

"See all beings, all gods, hanging on your body,
Brahma in the lotus position, including the seers and the snakes,
many faces, arms, bodies, many eyes, you mighty one;
But I see neither goal nor beginning in you, multi-faceted ... ""

- Max Bernhard Weinstein : World and life views emerged from religion, philosophy and knowledge of nature

Weinstein was criticized for taking the view that philosophers such as Scotus Eriugena , Giordano Bruno , Anselm von Canterbury , Nikolaus von Kues , Lessing and Moses Mendelsohn , among others, were pandists.

Fonts

  • Handbook of physical measurements . Second volume. Units and dimensions, measurements for lengths, masses, volumes and densities. Julius Springer, Berlin 1888, archive.org , limited preview in the Google Book Search USA
  • The earth currents in the German Reich telegraph area and their connection with the geomagnetic phenomena . F. Vieweg and son, Braunschweig 1900.
  • Introduction to higher mathematical physics . F. Dümmler, Berlin 1901.
  • The philosophical foundations of the sciences. Lectures held at the University of Berlin ... BG Teubner, Leipzig / Berlin 1906, archive.org , limited preview in the Google Book Search USA
  • Thermodynamics and kinetics of the body . F. Vieweg and Son, Braunschweig 1901–1908.
  • Origin of the world and the earth according to legend and science . BG Teubner, Leipzig / Berlin 1908
  • World and life views emerged from religion, philosophy and knowledge of nature . Johann Ambrosius Barth, Leipzig 1910, archive.org
  • The basic laws of nature and the modern teachings of nature . JA Barth, Leipzig 1911.
  • The physics of moving matter and the theory of relativity . Barth, Leipzig 1913 limited preview in the Google book search USA
  • Forces and tensions. The gravitational and radiation field . Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig 1914, archive.org , limited preview in the Google Book Search USA

Journal articles

  • About the equation of state of solid bodies . In: Annals of Physics , Fourth Series, Volume 51, No. 21, 1916, p. 365ff.

literature

  • Volker Gerhardt, Reinhard Mehring, Jana Räter: Berliner Geist: A History of Berlin University Philosophy until 1946 . Akademie Verlag, Oldenburg 1999 (Just two brief comments on Weinstein.)

Web links

Wikisource: Max Bernhard Weinstein  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Berlin in 1852
  2. ^ Address book for living physicists, mathematicians and astronomers . ( DjVu ) Leipzig 1905
  3. ↑ Max Weinstein . Humboldt University Berlin; biography
  4. ^ Allan Menzies: Review of theology & philosophy . Volume 7. 1912, p. 576.
  5. ↑ Volker Gerhardt, Reinhard Mehring, Jana Räter: Berliner Geist: A history of the Berlin university philosophy until 1946 . 1999
  6. ↑ Neuangemeldete members for 1911 . In: Kant studies. Philosophical journal . XVI, 1911, p. 129
  7. ↑ The physics of moving matter and the theory of relativity , 1913
  8. ↑ Max Bernhard Weinstein: The theory of relativity and the view of the world . In: Heaven and Earth . 26. 1914, pp. 1-14.
  9. ^ Lewis Pyenson, Relativity in Germany . In: TF Glick (Ed.): The Comparative Reception of Relativity . 1987, p. 89
  10. ↑ Jeffrey Crelinsten: Einstein's Jury: The Race to Test Relativity . 2006, p. 102.
  11. ↑ Raphael Lataster: There was no Jesus, there is no God: A Scholarly Examination of the Scientific, Historical, and Philosophical Evidence & Arguments for Monotheism 2013, ISBN 1-4922-3441-9 , p. 165: “This one god could be of the deistic or pantheistic sort. Deism might be superior in explaining why God has seemingly left us to our own devices and pantheism could be the more logical option as it fits well with the ontological argument's 'maximally-great entity' and doesn't rely on unproven concepts about 'nothing' (as in 'creation out of nothing'). A mixture of the two, pandeism, could be the most likely God-concept of all. "
  12. ↑ Alan H. Dawe: The God Franchise: A Theory of Everything . 2011, ISBN 0-473-20114-3 , p. 48.
  13. ^ Max Bernhard Weinstein: World and life views emerged from religion, philosophy and knowledge of nature . Leipzig 1910, p. 229.
  14. ↑ Otto Kirn: Welt- und Lebensanschauungen, emerged from religion, philosophy and knowledge of nature . In: Emil Schürer, Adolf von Harnack (ed.): Theologische Literaturzeitung , Vol. 35, 1910, column 827
personal data
SURNAME Weinstein, Max Bernhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German physicist and philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH September 1, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH Kovno
DATE OF DEATH March 25, 1918
Place of death Berlin