Two books, published both in September 2022
The Stumbling Progress of 20th Century Science – How Crises and Great Minds Have Shaped Our Modern World
The 70 years from 1880 to 1950 witnessed the final ascent of humankind into the modern age. Historically, this period is characterized by deep political, social and economic crises. However, parallel to this and much less known in the public, rational scientific thinking also experienced the darkest and deepest crisis of its own history. All the great modern scientific discoveries like quantum theory, genetics and neurology are products of this. Ground-breaking discoveries, profound crises, revolutionary thoughts, refutation of previously unshakable beliefs – these years are marked by scientific achievements of numerous great minds, who overturned our understanding of the world, of space, time and infinity, of life, logic and calculability almost overnight. The “intuitive genius” of these pioneers still forms the foundation of today’s scientific thinking and technological progress. In fact, tackling and overcoming those deep scientific crises shaped our modern life like nothing else. The resulting reorientation of our understanding of nature and ourselves allowed ancient philosophical questions to appear in a new light: “What is reality?”, “What can we know about the world?” or “What is man’s place in nature?”. The most exciting period in the history of science is retold here in an entertaining way.
ISBN: 978-3-031-09617-4
Emmy Noether – Ihr steiniger Weg an die Weltspitze der Mathematik
She has a razor-sharp mind, struggles for recognition throughout her life and refuses to be swayed: Emmy Noether (1882-1935), probably the most important female mathematician ever, is strong enough never to do what society expects of a woman. Despite much resistance, she manages to fight her way to the top of her discipline with groundbreaking work.
Emmy grows up in a liberal Jewish family in Erlangen. After passing her exams to become a language teacher, she took up mathematics studies with special permission, earned her doctorate and, thanks to her brilliant achievements, stepped out of the shadow of her father, a well-known mathematician. In 1915, Emmy Noether accepted a call to Göttingen, where she worked alongside the luminaries of her field, but without a salary or an academic position – because she was a woman. With Noether’s theorem, which is still valid today, she revolutionized mathematical thinking in physics, then became a pioneer of modern algebra. Highly gifted students from all over the world flock to the extraordinary professor, who by now enjoys international renown. In 1933 she was expelled from the university because she was Jewish. She emigrated to the USA, taught in Pennsylvania, close to Albert Einstein, who held the brilliant thinker in high esteem. Fate strikes when she has to undergo cancer surgery …
ISBN: 978-3-87800-161-4