Cassirer And Einstein

Conversation In Thin Air Continues
July, ’80

“Cassirer, I know that guy,” I said. “He was one of my philosophy teacher’s favorite people. I had to read his books on symbolic form. But what’s he got to do with Einstein?”

“And,” Peter added, “I wouldn’t exactly call him unorthodox. Being German, I can vouch for the guy. I assure you that his work is well respected, at least in my country.”

“Well, before he published his work on symbolic forms,” Tony continued, “he wrote a short piece on Einstein’s Relativity Theory. In it he attempted show how Einstein’s work was an extension, if not a confirmation, of his own epistemology. Is that about right Noel? He even sent the manuscript to Einstein for his comments, but I don’t think the old man was impressed.”

“He published that book, Tony,” responded Noel. “You can check it out of the library if you want too. And Einstein was impressed. It’s just that his stubbornness, his psychological need to prove laws of strict causality, would not allow him to take Cassirer’s epistemology seriously. In fact, that same stubbornness never allowed him to take quantum mechanics seriously. Einstein’s obsession, answering the question—does the universe really come down to a dice throw—carried him, some might say sent him, to his grave. What a waste!”

“I’m not to sure that’s an accurate description of Einstein,” Tony replied, “but you’re right, he challenged the credibility of quantum mechanics to the very end.”