Why did Einstein tirelessly study unified field theory for more than 30 years? In this book, the author argues that Einstein believed he could find a unified theory of all of nature's forces by repeating the methods he thought he had used when he formulated general relativity. The book discusses Einstein's route to the general theory of relativity, focusing on the philosophical lessons that he learnt. It then addresses his quest for a unified theory for electromagnetism and gravity, discussing in detail his efforts with Kaluza-Klein and, surprisingly, the theory of spinors. From these perspectives, Einstein's critical stance towards the quantum theory comes to stand in a new light. This book will be of interest to physicists, historians and philosophers of science.

Author: Jeroen Van Van Dongen
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 10/04/2018
Pages: 223
Weight: 0.8lbs
Size: 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.47d
ISBN: 9781108703031

About the Author
Van Dongen, Jeroen Van: - Jeroen van Dongen is Assistant Professor at the Institute for History and Foundations of Science at Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands, and has served as Associate Editor of the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein at the California Institute of Technology.