Ilse Rosenthal-Schneider (25 April 1891 – 6 February 1990) was a German-Australian physicist and philosopher. She is best known for her collaboration and correspondence with physicists Albert Einstein, Max von Laue, and Max Planck.[1][2][3] Rosenthal-Schneider earned a PhD in philosophy in 1920 at the University of Berlin, where she first met Albert Einstein. After leaving Nazi Germany and emigrating to Australia in 1938, she became a tutor in the German department at the University of Sydney in 1945 and taught history and philosophy of science.[4][5] In the 1940s and 1950s, she exchanged a series of letters with Albert Einstein about philosophical aspects of physics, such as theory of relativity,[6] fundamental constants and physical reality.[7][8][9][10] She remained in contact with Einstein through correspondence until the death of Einstein in 1955.[11] Rosenthal-Schneider contributed various articles and book reviews to the history of science journal Isis.[12]
Ilse Rosenthal-Schneider | |
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Born | Finsterwalde, Brandenburg, German Empire | 25 April 1891
Died | 6 February 1990 Sydney | (aged 98)
Alma mater | University of Berlin, Germany |
Spouse | Hans S. A. Rosenthal (1890–1968) (m. 26 August 1922) |
Children | Stephanie |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics, philosophy |
Institutions | Germany, United Kingdom, University of Sydney, Australia |
Thesis | Die Beziehungen der Einsteinschen Relativitätstheorie zur Philosophie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kantischen Lehre [The relationship of Einstein's theory of relativity to philosophy, with special reference to the Kantian doctrine (1920) |
Doctoral advisor | Alois Riehl, Max von Laue |
Plötzlich unterbrach Einstein die Lektüre and übergab mir ein Telegramm, das er vom Fensterbrett genommen hatte, mit den Worten: "Dies könnte Sie interessieren." Es war ein Telegramm von Eddington mit den Resultaten der berühmten Expedition zur Sonnenfinsternis. Voll von Begeisterung rief ich aus: "Wie wunderbar, dies ist fast der Wert, den Sie berechnet haben." Völlig ruhig bemerkte er: "Ich wusste, dass die Theorie richtig ist. Haben Sie daran gezweifelt?" Ich antwortete: "Nein, natürlich nicht. Doch was hätten Sie gesagt, wenn die Bestätigung nicht so ausgefallen wäre?" Er antwortete: "Da könnt' mir halt der liebe Gott leid tun, die Theorie stimmt doch." Hier verwendetete er - wie so oft - das Wort "Gott" statt "Natur". |
- Suddenly Einstein stopped reading and handed me a telegram he had picked up from the window sill, saying, "You might be interested in this." It was a telegram from Eddington with the results of the famous eclipse expedition. Full of excitement, I exclaimed, "How wonderful, this is almost the value you calculated." Completely calm, he remarked, "I knew the theory was correct. Did you doubt it?" I replied, "No, of course not. But what would you have said if the confirmation hadn't been so?" He replied: "I could just feel sorry for dear God, the theory is correct." Here he used - as so often - the word "God" instead of "nature". |
—Begegnungen mit Einstein, von Laue und Planck: Realität und wissenschaftliche Wahrheit, p. 60, Springer-Verlag, 13.03.2013 [13] |