Einstein and the Triumph of Truth as the Metaphor of Choice in Modern Times
Keywords:
Einstein, modernism, Einstein on the Beach, STS, history of scienceAbstract
Many consider Einstein and modernism as part of the same cultural conversation, but popular responses to modernism and Einstein's work were markedly different, with Einstein's work generally enjoying a more positive public reception. Most scholars agree that popularized forms of Einstein's work influenced modernism but more accurate interpretations of modernist works had little sway. I agree with this argument, but extend it by offering an alternate suggestion for Einstein's major influence on modern cultural expression. Instead of modernism, with its fracturing of reality, multiple perspectives, and altering of time, Einstein's major cultural legacy is the reinvigoration and re-legitimization of absolute truth as a valid concept in modern times.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
