I want to know how God created this world. I’m not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details. (Albert Einstein)
Thinking about the musings from Day 71: The Scientific Revolution – Part 2.…
Of the three individuals that I group together to form what I call the Scientific Revolution: Part 2, the one that logistically makes the most sense to follow the discoveries of Isaac Newton is…
Albert Einstein.
Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany and is considered to be one of the most influential scientists of all time regarding the field of physics. No matter what science class you were in, it is most likely that at least one time or another, Einstein’s famous theory, E = mc2, was brought up to some degree of conversation by either your teacher, your classmates, or you.
For me, as a student in school, discussing Einstein’s Theory of Relativity would be quickly ignored or deflected, to something of a greater, and more personal interest to me…
Like baseball cards or World War II or the futile attempt of the Chicago Cubs trying to advance to the World Series.
Physics is not my strong suit.
In fact…any branch of science…is not my strong suit.
And, as an added bonus…I never took a physics class in high school or college.
And I have absolutely no regrets about making those life decisions back then.
Although, trying to understand the theory of relativity today, makes my head spin.
For me, it is not about the E…or the m…or the c…or even why the 2 after the c is supposed to hang suspended in the air after the c…
For me, when I am trying to explain the Theory of Relativity in my AP World History classes, I am bringing E = mc 2 for its historical context, not for its scientific significance.
Believe me, it’s really for the best interest for my students anyway.
So here is some historical context needed in order to try to understand the significance of the Theory of Relativity:
Historians refer to time period from 1875-1900 as the Second Industrial Revolution. (There are some that will claim that the dates are actually from 1870-1914, however, I do better with round numbers when trying to teach the significance and impacts of certain time periods).
It is during the Second Industrial Revolution, when industrialization and mass production quickly transitioned from the advances of the textile, (clothing), and transportation industries, (steam engine), of the First Industrial Revolution, to the advancements relating to the: combustion engine, cheap steel and electricity.
Among other things, it was not just the series of discoveries, inventions and technologies that separated the First and Second Industrial Revolutions. It was also the advancements in science that also separated these two time periods.
In addition to the advancements made in modern psychology thanks to Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein was making discoveries in the scientific realm of physics…
And that is where I come back to Isaac Newton and his discoveries regarding the field of physics that he wrote about up until his death in 1727.
The ultimate question that needs to be addressed is this…
Did the Theory of Relativity make the discoveries of Newton obsolete?
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to figure out the connections to science and how it relates to the Holy Bible. Do not feel discouraged if you cannot yet see a connection with Newton, Einstein, and your world. Instead, embrace the idea that as you learn more about science, embrace the idea that as these concepts build one upon another, it will eventually in the end, make sense.
“13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!” Ecclesiastes 1:13 KJV
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 72: The Scientific Revolution – Part 2 – (Part 2)..
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: