What Is Life?: The Intellectual Pertinence of Erwin Schrödinger

by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Robert Harrison, Robert B. Laughlin

Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961) is best known as a co-recipient of the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics for his development of a mathematical description of quantum mechanics. Today, many experts also consider him the father of bioengineering, and philosophers grant him an important role in the development of an ecological philosophy of nature. Here, four leading scientists and humanists reveal the ongoing contributions of Schrödinger's thought and unfold its controversial potential. They remind us that, in addition to being a great scientist, Schrödinger was also a great thinker whose intellectual provocations far exceed his historical impact. Their insights will be valued by biologists, philosophers, physicists—and a wide range of the scientifically curious alike.

Genres: Physics, Philosophy

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2011

About the author

Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht is the Albert Guérard Professor in Literature in the Departments of Comparative Literature and of French & Italian (and by courtesy, he is affiliated with the Department of Iberian and Latin American Cultures/ILAC, the Department of German Studies, and the Program in Modern Thought & Literature). As a scholar, Gumbrecht focuses on the histories of the national literatures in Romance language (especially French, Spanish, and Brazilian), but also on German literature, while, at the same time, he teaches and writes about the western philosophical tradition (almost exclusively on non-analytic philosophy) with an emphasis on French and German nineteenth- and twentieth-century texts. In addition, Gumbrecht tries to analyze and to understand forms of aesthetic experience 21st-century everyday culture. Over the past forty years, he has published more than two thousand texts, including books, translated into more than twenty languages. In Europe and in South America, Gumbrecht has a presence as a public intellectual; whereas, in the academic world, he has been acknowledged by ten honorary doctorates in seven different countries: Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Russia, and Georgia. He has also held a large number of visiting professorships, at the Collège de France, University of Lisbon, University of Manchester, and the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, among others. In the spring of 2017, he was a Martin Buber Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Reviews

[Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

رحلة جميلة جدا في ذكريات وعلوم العملاق اروين شرودنك...
لغة الكتاب صعبة جدا...اعتقد انه مترجم للانكليزي ومع هذا واجهت صعوبة في فهم بعض المصطلحات...
يتحدث الكتاب عن الشخصية و الارث العلمي للعالم الكبير اروين شرودنك...كيف هذه الشخصية النادرة التي كان فقط همها العلم ومعرفة الحقيقة متجاهلتا المناصب والنفاق الاجتماعي والمصلحي في البيئة العلمية في ذلك الوقت...
كيف هذا العلم البريئ وفي نفس الوقت الجاد غير محور الاتجاه العلمي واسس الى ولادة علوم اخرى كالكيمياء الحية...
شخصية فعلا استثنائية...لم يقدس العلم كما فعل ابناء عصره ولكن اعطاه مايستحق حسب استيعابه...كان دائما يرى حدود يقف العلم عنده عاجزا عن التفسير ولكن يتصنع القدرة لارضاء الوسط العلمي...تماما كيف يتم النفاق الاجتماعي في وقتنا هذا...
كشف الصفحة السوداء للعلماء والمؤسسات العلمية ولهذا قضى اغلب وقته في عزلة مثابرا في البحث والتعلم....
لازال ورثه العلمي يتداول و منارة للاجيال الحرة الصادقة...
هذا اول كتاب اقراه عنه ولن يكون الاخير هذه فقط البداية

[Jeannie]

i thought it was really hard to read... even though it was decided on to be read by both me and nik. oops!

[Chris H. H. Leeb]

Hans Ulrich GumbrechtRobert Pogue Harrison

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essay on "Exorcising Schrodinger's Ghost" was particularly interesting.