Re: process information to discuss Einstein and Planck's differing views about whethe
I got this exact same question of an assignment thats due very soon, could anyone give me advice on my draft so far for this syllabus point it will be much appreciated
Process information to discuss Einstein’s and Planck’s differing views about whether science research is removed from social and political forces - Through the first half of the twentieth century Germany thrived in the field of science due to leading minds of the era in particular physicists Max Plank and Albert Einstein. Planck and Einstein shared numerous similarities including their field of work and their positions in the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (Berlin, Germany) regarded each other as friends. Although both were similar in many aspects the tide of WW1 (1914-1918) and WW2 (1939-1945) gave rise differing opinions which evidently clashed on the subject of political and social forces of the time from the two scientists. Plank who was of German nationality took a nationalistic approach towards the war and regarded Germany with passion and loyalty, evidently delineated through his actions of signing the manifesto of the ninety-three intellectuals to support the German military. Contrastingly to Planck, Einstein was a pacifist towards the violent militant behavior evoked from Germany and other countries involved in the war, due to his pacifism Einstein signed the counter manifesto which was against the participation of the German intellectuals in the German military. After the end of WW1 with Germany’s signing of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) Einstein went on with his research on the Photoelectric effect and eventually was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921, whilst Planck was working up to his honorable role as president of the Kaiser Wilhelm institute which he was officially appointed in 1930. Not long before WW1 ended, WW2 began to creep upon the political world which was largely influenced by the appointment of Adolf Hitler for the Chancellor of Germany, turning Germany into a Nazi dictatorship. The gradual degradation of the Jewish community in Germany evoked concerned disapproval from both Einstein and Planck. Planck dropped his nationalistic behavior as his fellow Jewish scientist colleagues were in danger as their position in Germany began to dwindle from propaganda against Jews encouraged from Hitler’s rule. Planck held a consultation with Hitler in the aim of changing his policy regarding the welfare of the Jewish community but the attempt was to no avail. The tension in Germany against the Jewish greatly worried Einstein who was of Jewish background, he took enormous changes to escape the new policy established by resigning from Kaiser Wilhelm Institute and emigrating to America taking a professorship position on Theoretical physics in Princeton. By 1939 WW2 officially began with Germany invading Poland, this action and the concern of his old colleague Leo Szilard was largely the catalyst for Einstein’s decision to sign the letter written by Szilard who was unknown at the time to the United States President Roosevelt Franklin, informing his concern and suspicion of Germany creating an atomic bomb and urging the United States to develop it first. Einstein’s opinion was highly regarded in the twentieth century and Roosevelt immediately took action to reinforce the development of the atomic bomb with the establishment of the Manhattan project. The Manhattan project (1942-1946) was under the direction of general Leslie Groves and the U.S Army Corporation of Engineers, the project consisted of around 130,000 employees (Manhattan Project, June2017,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project) throughout its activity, with leading scientists on the project being Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard. Szilard’s knowledge and research into nuclear chain reaction by splitting the uranium atom (u235) greatly contributed and enhanced the rate of Einstein’s development of the nuclear bomb. After the atomic bombs were tested in the trinity test the bombs became officially successful and were used against the Germans. By 1945 the Germans were near defeat and Szilard didn’t see the reasoning behind the continuation use of the bomb, as the enemies have been defeated his original fear surpassed but the realization of the danger the atomic bomb imposed on the future of humanity troubled him. With the help of Einstein’s highly regarded reputation Szilard for the second time wrote a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt to schedule a meeting between the two ( William Lanouette, A biography of Leo Szilard,
http://www.doug-long.com/szilard.htm) to deliver information that would make the president more cautious about the dangers the atomic bomb imposes in the future and the high chance of evoking a nuclear arms race if precautions are not taken. Unfortunately before the decision could be officially reinforced President Roosevelt died (12 April, 1945) and President Trumen was re-elected. The meeting was therefore held with the new elected president who was not dismayed and disagreed with Szilard’s view. This led to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombing which further dismayed Einstein and Szilard from the use of atomic bombs. On July 17, 1945 an official petition against the further use of the atomic bomb was signed by Einstein and Leo Szilard including 69 other co-signers and was sent to President Truman. Evidently Einstein’s pacifistic approach towards the political forces active in the war were strained by the fear of Germany’s progressive hatred of Jews, leading to him being a major role in the creation of the atomic bomb. Einstein later stated that he regretted immensely sending the letter to Roosevelt. Similarly Planck’s differing opinion compared to Einstein’s were exposed to change do to his eventual disapproval of the injustice imposed by his nation of the Jewish people.
