The Origins of Deutsche Physik (1910s)

“Just as the cubists had an inability to paint decently, so, here lies together the audacity and the inability the theoretical physicists want to impose on others.” - Philipp Lenard

Around the same time as Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and David Hilbert (1862-1943) were engaged in a race to find the correct formulation of Einstein’s field equations for his theory of general relativity (see essay below), there was a crisis unfolding in the physics community.

Einstein and Hilbert’s Relativity Race (1915)

A movement which began as a response to German soldiers’ acts during the first world war spread to academia and began gaining support among prominent colleagues of Einstein, including Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951) and Johannes Stark (1874-1957). At its core, the academic dimension of the debate regarded the increasing use of the English language in scientific writing, including by German authors, editors and translators. Following the burning of the library at Louvain/Leuven (see essay below) a front developed between German and British intellectuals, spearheaded by a handful of prominent physicists.

“Manifestos rained down. Under the heading of Louvain, English universities and institutions of higher learning g…