Loop Quantum Gravity Was Aryan Physics Of Aether Reloaded

Philipp Lenard won a physics Nobel prize too was widely regarded as a top ethnic High German physicist as of late as inwards the 1930s too 1940s.

This fact sounds utterly bizarre today (but yes, aside from Heisenberg, Born, too Jordan, addition the founder of "quantum theory" Max Planck, all the German-sounding founders of quantum mechanics tended to move Swiss or Austrian etc. – maybe this weakness of Deutschland was affected yesteryear the enhanced anti-Semitism too other ideologies inwards that country). He got his Nobel for cathode rays. They were streams of electrons – I shout out upwards that you lot demand this to move explained because the really phrase doesn't audio of import today. Moreover, J.J. Thomson, Johann Hittorf, too Eugen Goldstein were arguably to a greater extent than vital too before discoverers of the cathode ray, inwards the same agency inwards which Conrad Röntgen was the actual discoverer of the X-rays, fifty-fifty though Lenard wanted to convey credit for those, too.

As the "Genius" serial on National Geographic reminds us, Lenard was a top Nazi hater of Einstein – too a top warrior against modern physics which he called "Jewish physics". In 2015, Bruce Hillman wrote the mass The Man Who Stalked Einstein: How Nazi Scientist Philipp Lenard Changed the Course of History which is extremely interesting because it reveals that the Šmoit-style criticism of modern physics which I considered to move a recent phenomenon isn't new, after all. It's just the crackpottery of the Aryan physics reloaded.




If you lot don't desire to purchase too read that book, you lot should at to the lowest degree read the 2015 Phys.org article When scientific discipline gets ugly – the story of Philipp Lenard too Albert Einstein. The article reminds us of around basic facts, e.g.:

Lenard argued that Einstein's hyper-theoretical too hyper-mathematical approach to physics was exerting a pernicious influence inwards the field. The fourth dimension had come, he argued, to restore experimentalism to its proper place. He also launched a malicious assail on Einstein, making niggling endeavour to conceal his antipathy toward Jews.

OK, then according to Lenard, relativity too modern physics inwards full general was "hyper-theoretical" too "hyper-mathematical" too was exerting a pernicious effect on the whole acre (of physics). Experimentalism had to move restored etc. Haven't you lot heard these things somewhere? Well, yes, it's just the anti-theoretical-physics garbage that was resuscitated yesteryear people similar Woit too Smolin a decade ago.

Note that Lenard was "capable" of proverb too writing this rubbish without whatsoever references to Karl Popper. Popper is just a redundant too worthless extra label that was of late glued on top of these anti-science ideas. The essence of the anti-theoretical-physics sentiment has e'er been the same: The people who criticize theoretical physics merely abhor the thought that the mathematical reasoning becomes a key or the key percentage of the physics research. They are just non talented plenty for that.




So for around time, I was aware of the fact that the full general philosophical tenets of the attacks against theoretical physics are really old. But alone Hillman's mass too around of the recent texts nearly the Einstein-Lenard animosity that I saw, e.g. this textbook of High German physics yesteryear Lenard (written inwards the High German Gothic fonts, of course, fifty-fifty though Hitler abandoned those fonts as ancient too reducing Germany's international influence 3 years prior to the publication of Lenard's book), a book nearly aether, too a presentation nearly aether theories receive got opened my eyes further.

It wasn't just the irrational shout out upwards anti-theoretical physics philosophy that the Šmoits receive got copied from Aryan physics. The basic technical framework of "Smolin-style" alternative theories was pretty much plagiarized from the Aryan physics, too.

OK, let's await at the history a niggling bit. Lenard did around cathode ray piece of work inwards 1888. Once the 20th century – too modern physics – began, he basically stopped doing anything novel inwards physics that had value. That's a lot of fourth dimension to create things similar the High German physics – he lived upwards to 1947. At whatsoever rate, at that spot was a 2nd when Lenard was far to a greater extent than well-known than the immature Einstein too these 2 men had a respectful relationship. It deteriorated shortly too became terrible. My agreement is that the transformation took house rapidly during the twelvemonth 1909.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 big operate of the sentiment boiled downwardly to Lenard's visceral anti-Semitism. But I shout out upwards that ane tin dismiss come across that it didn't explicate all the tension. It was at to the lowest degree as of import that Lenard was a full-blown crackpot when it came to anything that depends on modern theoretical physics. He was fighting against relativity, fifty-fifty inwards the 1930s, 3 decades after every usable physicist knew that relativity was a fact. You could dismiss this anti-relativity sentiment as a lawsuit of Lenard's anti-Semitism. It may receive got been primary for him to save the thought that a Jewish physicist couldn't receive got done whatsoever groundbreaking piece of work – seek to appreciate how indefensible this thesis became after the state of war when over 1/2 of the key advances inwards cutting-edge physics was done yesteryear Jewish physicists.

In around quotes, the influence of Lenard's racist sentiments on his opinions nearly physics (and the completely omnipresent yet incoherent mixing of scientific too political ideas, something that is then typical for the Smolins, Woits, too Hossenfelders of the introduce as well) was obvious. For example, Lenard in ane lawsuit whined:

"Then the Jew came too caused an upheaval," he wrote at the time, "with his abolition of the concept of ether, too ridiculously enough, fifty-fifty the oldest government followed him. They of a abrupt felt powerless when confronted amongst the Jew. This is how the Jewish spirit started to dominion over physics."

But he also had his would-be "constructive" contributions to physics that were supposed to supply physics amongst alternatives. The 1944 textbook on High German physics is basically just a textbook of classical physics. As far as I tin dismiss say, the adjectives "German" too "classical" were basically synonymous if you lot looked at the content too basic axiomatic framework of physics. Well, "German" could receive got meant "classical too preferrably experimental", too. But aside from this outdated but basically uncontroversial physics, he was trying to promote concepts on the would-be cutting border physics. And his proposals were principal theories of the aether.

As this presentation tells us, Lenard wrote 2 books nearly aether:

• “Über Äther und Materie”, 1911
• “Über Äther und Uräther”, 1922

Note that these happened to move published during the years that Einstein spent inwards Prague, Czech lands – Lenard was born inwards Bratislava, Hungary, inwards the Austrian Empire. Well, when those books were published, Einstein was already opened upwards nearly his certainty that Lenard turned into a full-blown crank.

The showtime book, "On Aether too Matter", was mostly nearly the erstwhile electromagnetic aether. The 2nd book, "On Aether too Fore-Aether" or "On Aether too Aether of Space", was partly a meme nearly around spin-network-like construction inwards the empty infinite similar to loop quantum gravity.

As the "Genius" serial superficially sketches, Lenard had a immature assistant named Jakob Johann Laub. Well, it turned out that Laub was a huge fan of Einstein's piece of work (which implied that Laub felt sure nearly relativity too non-existence of aether) but Lenard ordered Laub to piece of work to show aether, anyway. And inwards 1909, as Hillman's mass discusses inwards detail, Laub too Einstein exchanged around correspondence. Einstein was just exposed to a lecture yesteryear Lenard too he had pity amongst Laub. Einstein wrote Laub:

Lenard must, however, inwards many things, move injure quite askew. His recent lecture on these fanciful ethers appears to me almost infantile. Further, the written report he commanded of you... borders on the absurd. I am sad that you lot must pass your fourth dimension on such stupidity.

It went then far that Einstein promised Laub to discovery a novel job. Lenard didn't desire to allow it, insisting that Laub continues amongst the infantile aether piece of work ordered yesteryear Lenard upwards to the 2nd when Laub finds the novel job. "This is genuinely a twisted fellow, Lenard," Einstein pointed out after hearing this.



To write whole physics books nearly aether inwards 1911 or fifty-fifty 1922 is, well, evidently retarded. These books are examples of the episodes inwards the history of physics that await chronologically wrong: around people come about to Earth into a afterward century than where they should receive got spent their lives too die. Einstein was sure convinced nearly the non-existence of aether years before 1905. But at whatsoever rate, inwards 1905, he clarified all the puzzling things nearly infinite too fourth dimension related to the speed of lite too it made sense. His special theory of relativity made it clear that all inertial frames are as practiced to formulate the laws of physics – too non fifty-fifty inwards the vacuum, you lot tin dismiss create upwards one's hear which of the inertial frames is privileged. None of them is.

It follows that the spacetime just cannot incorporate whatsoever marrow or objects that could pick a privileged frame. Period. The enquiry was settled. Nevertheless, Lenard continued to promote the meme that the electromagnetic phenomena required luminiferous aether. He did then fifty-fifty years after he "sort of" accepted full general relativity. This mental attitude was extremely unnatural – when gravity could move described yesteryear fields inwards the otherwise empty vacuum, why should electromagnetism move completely different? They clearly await totally analogous. (Also, at that spot was a sense inwards which Lenard accepted full general relativity "more than" the special one. Just imagine how illogical this mental attitude was. Did he justify it inwards around way? Not really, political shields were already primary for him too they didn't attention that full general relativity is, well, a generalization of the special ane then it requires the special one.) He was constructing this aether out of around pieces resembling "LEGO" – too that's in all likelihood the principal ground why Einstein called it (and why I independently called loop quantum gravity too similar memes) "infantile".

Much to a greater extent than generally, the whole agency of thinking of Lenard too the loop quantum gravity too other "spacetime built of pieces" champions is childish because it imagines that at the bottom of things, the simplest objects inwards Nature such as simple particles or regions of the empty infinite are made of pieces or objects similar to those that kids may play with. What create adult modern physicists genuinely think? Well, the theories needed to empathise the behaviour of the vacuum or simple particles are also made of pieces – but the pieces are damage inwards mathematical expressions, such as this Lagrangian of the Standard Model:



You know, the thought that is obvious to everyone who thinks similar a modern physicist is that the mathematical structures too constraints are key too primary; too "objects" that nosotros tin dismiss come across are their consequences. Lenard too diverse "discrete physics" proponents that soundless be receive got this basic indicate upside down. They are imagining that around "pictures" are primary too key spell mathematics is at most a "servant" that nosotros occupation to depict this visualizable reality inwards a agency that looks to a greater extent than credible. But mathematics cannot move just a "servant" inwards this sense. Fundamental laws of physics must move intrinsically formulated inwards the linguistic communication of mathematics. The explanations "why this operate of the theory industrial plant inwards ane agency or another" must move mathematical inwards nature, too.

Just compare the deep departure betwixt the colorful flick of the spinfoam – which is basically equivalent to Lenard's infantile models of aether, at the score of particular that nosotros follow inwards this text – too the Lagrangian. It's a departure betwixt pictures too calculations, geometry too algebra. Now, I am non proverb that geometry has no house inwards physics. All of physics may move phrased as "some generalized geometry". But if you lot demand to empathise the precise rules that principle Nature at the key level, you lot merely demand around algebra. You demand to convert the pictures to mathematical structures or constraints.

It is extremely unnatural to imagine that at the bottom, Nature is constructed out of around pieces that genuinely demand lots of parameters – similar to macroscopic pieces of "LEGO" – to depict their shape or interactions. There is genuinely no ground to shout out upwards that the key pieces should resemble the macroscopic ones. Even though he remained an opponent of quantum mechanics, Einstein e'er understood the basic indicate that the key laws must move dissimilar than the everyday life objects inwards many characteristics – too that the possible laws of physics should move searched inwards the "space of mathematically possible candidate theories" i.e. yesteryear a mathematical choice too classification, non e.g. according to around instinctive sense amongst everyday objects. Even the top quantum mechanical folks receive got genuinely credited Einstein for his assist to elucidate this conceptual point.

At the end, the transition from classical physics to modern physics – which involved both relativity too particularly quantum mechanics – was a classic too maybe the most profound instance of a revolution inwards science. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 revolution inwards scientific discipline merely demolishes around assumptions that receive got been considered holy for a really long time. And around people are just likewise dogmatic too incapable of seeing that such a transition is necessary.

My reading of this history has filled me amongst around preliminary optimism. The recent decade isn't the showtime 2nd when theoretical physics was facing completely irrational too dishonest critics who honey to mix scientific discipline too politics inwards scientifically unacceptable ways too whose sermons are ultimately addressed to the to the lowest degree demanding audiences. Despite Nazi Germany's potency over most of Europe yesteryear 1942, the Earth has recovered from this irrational political motility designed to cripple too enslave science. We receive got around gamble that the social club volition recover from the recent revival of these ideas in ane lawsuit again.