EPILOGUE 295
explained in the harmonies of the lyre string. (In some sense, string
theory brings back the dream of the Pythagoreans.)
In modern times nearly all the giants of twentieth-century physics
tried their luck with a unified field theory. But, as Freeman Dyson cautions, "The ground of physics is littered with the corpses of unified theories."
In 1928 the New York Times ran the sensational headline "Einstein
on verge of great discovery; resents intrusion." The news story helped
spark a media feeding frenzy over a theory of everything that was
whipped up to a feverish pitch. Headlines blared "Einstein is amazed
at stir over theory. Holds 100 journalists at bay for a week." Scores of
journalists swarmed around his home in Berlin, maintaining a nonstop vigil, waiting to catch a glimpse of the genius and grab a headline.
Einstein was forced to go into hiding.
Astronomer Arthur Eddington wrote to Einstein: "You may be
amused to hear that one of our great department stores in London (Selfridges) has posted on its window your paper (the six pages pasted up
side by side) so that passers-by can read it all through. Large crowds
gather around to read it." (In 1923 Eddington proposed his own unified
field theory on which he worked tirelessly for the rest of his life, until
he died in 1944.)
In 1946 Erwin Schrôdinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, held a press conference to propose his unified field theory.
Even Ireland's Prime Minister, Eamon De Valera, showed up. When a
reporter asked him what he would do if his theory was wrong,
Schrôdinger replied, "I believe I am right. I shall look like an awful fool
if I am wrong." (Schrôdinger was humiliated when Einstein politely
pointed out the errors in his theory.)
The harshest of all critics of unification was physicist Wolfgang
Pauli. He chided Einstein, saying, "What God has torn asunder, let no
man put together." He mercilessly put down any half-baked theory
with the quip: "It's not even wrong." So it is ironic that the supreme
cynic Pauli himself caught the bug. In the 1950s he proposed his own
unified field theory with Werner Heisenberg.
In 1958 Pauli presented the Heisenberg-Pauli unified theory at Co-
explained in the harmonies of the lyre string. (In some sense, string
theory brings back the dream of the Pythagoreans.)
In modern times nearly all the giants of twentieth-century physics
tried their luck with a unified field theory. But, as Freeman Dyson cautions, "The ground of physics is littered with the corpses of unified theories."
In 1928 the New York Times ran the sensational headline "Einstein
on verge of great discovery; resents intrusion." The news story helped
spark a media feeding frenzy over a theory of everything that was
whipped up to a feverish pitch. Headlines blared "Einstein is amazed
at stir over theory. Holds 100 journalists at bay for a week." Scores of
journalists swarmed around his home in Berlin, maintaining a nonstop vigil, waiting to catch a glimpse of the genius and grab a headline.
Einstein was forced to go into hiding.
Astronomer Arthur Eddington wrote to Einstein: "You may be
amused to hear that one of our great department stores in London (Selfridges) has posted on its window your paper (the six pages pasted up
side by side) so that passers-by can read it all through. Large crowds
gather around to read it." (In 1923 Eddington proposed his own unified
field theory on which he worked tirelessly for the rest of his life, until
he died in 1944.)
In 1946 Erwin Schrôdinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, held a press conference to propose his unified field theory.
Even Ireland's Prime Minister, Eamon De Valera, showed up. When a
reporter asked him what he would do if his theory was wrong,
Schrôdinger replied, "I believe I am right. I shall look like an awful fool
if I am wrong." (Schrôdinger was humiliated when Einstein politely
pointed out the errors in his theory.)
The harshest of all critics of unification was physicist Wolfgang
Pauli. He chided Einstein, saying, "What God has torn asunder, let no
man put together." He mercilessly put down any half-baked theory
with the quip: "It's not even wrong." So it is ironic that the supreme
cynic Pauli himself caught the bug. In the 1950s he proposed his own
unified field theory with Werner Heisenberg.
In 1958 Pauli presented the Heisenberg-Pauli unified theory at Co-