Auction 115 Seforim, Letters from Rabbis and Rebbes, Chabad, Manuscripts, Art from Israel, Important historic documents
Jul 24, 2019
Israel
 3 Shatner Center 1st Floor Givat Shaul Jerusalem
The auction has ended

LOT 11:

Letter from Professor Albert Einstein to Professor David Bohm, Princeton, New Jersey, November 24, 1954

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Sold for: $700
Start price:
$ 500
Estimated price:
$2000-$3000
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Letter from Professor Albert Einstein to Professor David Bohm, Princeton, New Jersey, November 24, 1954
Letter from Albert Einstein to his colleague, David Bohm. Einstein writes how he understands the general science, the general logic. Very interesting letter about the way we should look at science.
Letter content: Einstein instinctively opposes the approach of Bohm and many of the physicists of his time, even though they successfully supported their theory with an impressive series of empirical findings. He does not believe in micro-and-macro-laws, but only in laws of general vigorous validity. "I believe that these laws are logically simple, and that reliance on this logical simplicity is our best guide." It would be sufficient to start with a small number of experiments. If nature is not arranged accordingly, then there is very little hope of understanding it more deeply.
Einstein presents the difficulty with the using logical simplicity as a guide and he admits to the limitations of the mathematical methods existent at the time which prevent empirically-testable conclusions based on his scientific experiments.
Einstein isn't trying to convince Bohm, but only to explain how he reached his own scientific attitude. He notes "that by using a semi-empirical method, one would never have arrived at the gravitational equations of empty space."
[1] page, official stationery. 27x21 cm. The letter is typewritten and signed in Professor Einstein's hand. The signature got wet and was smudged.
Fine condition. Smudged ink stains.

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