By his own admission Einstein was an observer and a very good one. He
was good at observation and then debunking myth with reality when he
had the ammunition.
Einstein was an excellent observer, due largely to his willingness
to approach problems with a very open mind. This willingness made it
possible for him to see the apparent invariance of the speed of light
suggested by the results of the Michelson-Morley experiment as implying
that everything else we take for granted as invariant - such as as
time, distance, and mass (Lorentz' contributions didn't hurt at this
time either) - are the real variables in the way the Universe actually
works.
It is my opinion, at least, that Einstein's conclusion that "God
does not play dice with the Universe" clearly marked the point up to
which Albert Einstein stopped being Einstein the Observer, to his
new life as Einstein the Scientific Bigot. First of all, it was never
Einstein's prerogative to say what God does and does not do with the
Universe. For all we know God may not only play dice, but may actually
own a few casinos as well.
This conclusion also betrayed Einstein's new unwillingness to
accept the results of scientific experiments which clearly suggested
that the Universe is not, in fact, the nice, clean-cut, well-behaved,
deterministic bit of precision clockwork that Einstein seemed to prefer
it was.
I'm convinced that Albert Einstein's rejection of the implications
of quantum theory were made not rationally - as one might have
expected, given his other accomplishments - but as being an emotional
rejection of the results based largely on his own aesthetic prejudices.
It didn't feel right to him, and so he rejected what seemed to him to
be a bit messy. Had Einstein taken this approach in 1905, he would not
have had, in my opinion, the willingness to accept that it was the
speed of light that was the standard constant by which all other
familiar aspects of physical reality should be gauged. Nor would we now
be calling it "Eintein's Theory of Relativity" but rather, perhaps,
"George's Theory of Relativity," because "George" hadn't thought to
reject this apparent "absurdity" on the basis of aesthetic
considerations.
Too bad, too. Some folks quote Einstein's "Dice" conclusion as some
sort of justification for holding onto their own prejudices that the
Universe is deterministic. For my part, I feel that these folks are
perhaps so enamoured with Einstein's obvious accomplishments and the
considerable weight of his own scientific authority, to stop and
realize that they are, in fact, demonstrating their own willingness to repeat his gravest mistake. The Universe is not
deterministic, like it or not, and it continues to be non-deterministic
regardless of whether Einstein approves - or not. It is not Einstein's Universe, after all, it is God's.
I personally feel that Einstein's conclusion about God and Dice was
the single greatest impediment to his ever having finished his Grand
Unified Theory. He never finished it before he died, and I seriously
doubt that he ever would have finished it whilst clinging to his own
aesthetic prejudices. If you are attempting to build a house, for
example, does it help to throw away half the materials even before you
begin pouring the foundation?
In his early years, Albert Einstein approached the Universe with
both eyes open wide and with an equally open mind. But his subsequent
aesthetic rejection of quantum non-determinism was, essentially, a
declaration that he was no longer willing to consider all the facts. As
if to say, "Sorry, folks, but I'd much rather now see the Universe with
one eye closed."
--Europium
Albert BlindStein
Re: Albert BlindStein
