catbirdseat Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 Wasn't it Einstein who once quipped, "God does not play with dice"? Quote
JayB Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 The Hungarian physicist Leo Tzilard convinced Einstein to present a letter to FDR imploring him (FDR) to undertake efforts to develop the atomic bomb before the Nazi's did. Einstein appreciated the strategic consequences of such an outcome (the Nazi's getting the bomb first) and agreed to submit the letter to FDR, but Tzilard was really the driving force behind the move. More in "The History of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes. The book won the National Book Award, a specific award for history, and even a Pulitzer Prize (I think) when it was published. Those who have claimed that Einstein despised nationalism are correct, but he recognized that nationalism in its general form was less of an immediate threat to humanity than the National Socialist variety (e.g. the violent fusion of nationalism, totalitarianism errected upon a foundation of racial superiority and genocide) and ultimately concluded that the use of nationalism to neutralize the Nazi's was a necessary evil. Quote
Dru Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 catbirdseat said: Wasn't it Einstein who once quipped, "God does not play with dice"? "God does not play dice with the cosmos" yeah that's what I was referring to. Quote
RuMR Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 You guys should read Robert Jungks (spelling???) Brighter than a Thousand Suns...Hell even Oppenheimer was considered a risk due to leftist leanings... Quote
sobo Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 catbirdseat said: Wasn't it Einstein who once quipped, "God does not play with dice"? My favorite Einstein quote... "I do not know how World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." sobering... Quote
sayjay Posted May 16, 2003 Posted May 16, 2003 "I don't like it, and I'm sorry I ever had anything to do with it." - Erwin Schrodinger, on Quantum Mechanics. Quote
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