Scientific Autobiography and Other Papers Paperback – August 1, 1968

A bit of the man behind the quantum. A very human sharing of a humble perspective.

Five “Papers” or Lectures by Max Planck, Father of the Quantum TheoryThe book’s title, “Scientific Autobiography (and Other Papers)” is also the title of the first of five lectures presented in this slender tome.I had been looking for a biography of this great physicist whose life span reached from 1858 until 1947, almost 90 years, and encompassed the rise and fall of the German Kaiserreich ending with World War I in 1918, as well as the rise and fall of the Third Reich – which ended with World War II in 1945.Just the title page – nothing more – was all one could go by when trying to decide whether or not this book would fit your bill. After I had purchased it, it soon became clear that I was sitting on the wrong train! The ride, nevertheless, turned out to be very worthwhile – albeit too fast for my comfort.Next you read that the text was translated from the German by Frank Gaynor and published in 1949 by the “Philosophical Library” in New York, N.Y., and was surprisingly easy to read.The first paper, a “Scientific Autobiography,” was not so much the life story of Max Planck as that it followed the development of his studies and research in the field of theoretical physics.Planck had been born in Kiel, a German city on the Baltic Sea; he attended school and university in Munich and held professorships at the universities of Berlin and Goettingen. When he started out his quest, there was yet no chair for his chosen field of theoretical physics, but later in life, it was he who would sit in it and give lectures. But to get there, he found, that he would have to plow his own way into this very specialized field.He studied and worked, e. g., on thermodynamics, entropy, the laws of chemical reactions, radiation and even took a side trip into musical scales. His name is, however, most often associated with the Quantum Theory which he presented in December of 1900 before the Physical Society of Berlin. Later, in 1905, he combined this theory with the Theory of Relativity of Albert Einstein whose friend and promoter he became.The titles of the other four papers in this book are:- Phantom Problems in Science- The Meaning and Limits of Exact Science- the Concept of Causality in Physics and- Religion and Natural Science.These papers are preceded by a memorial talk for Max Planck presented by one of his close friends and colleagues, Max von Laue. It is here that we learn a bit more of Planck’s personal life, that he lost two of his three sons and his house in Berlin which was bombed just a few months before the end of World War II. It needs to be added that he had also lost his first wife, Marie, to tuberculosis and his two daughters who both died in childbirth.With the house, he also lost his voluminous library, his extensive correspondence with colleagues and friends and most of his own writings. The five “papers” in this book were spared, they “made it.”We see that Max Planck – Nobel Prize laureate and groundbreaking world-renowned scientist – was also a Job of the 20th century who received one piece of bad news after the other. The trials he underwent during his life are reflected in the somber portrait at the beginning of the book.Thank God that it was granted him to spend the last months of his life in Goettingen, in the British Occupied Zone, later to become part of West-Germany. Americans had come to his country house close to the Polish border and spirited him out of the zone soon to be occupied by Soviet troops. ***

I did not purchase this book for his thoughts on the quantum theory. I had studied it in grad school back in the 1950s. I have enjoyed his thoughts on the Phantoms of Science,especially chapter IV in which he addresses questions about science and religion: "There can never be any real opposition between science and religion; for the one is the complement of the other". He is very realistic about other problems of designing honest research systems.His essay on The meaning and limits of exact Science is also very good.The man is not a good writer, but his depth of scientific knowledge is excellent

Worth read the Plank's lectures and thoughts!

The autobiographical portion of the book reads like a Who's Who of the scientific world of the late 19th and early 20th century. The collaboration of the various scientists went much deeper than I had imagined.In his papers, I particularly liked his analysis of the Religion vs Science debate. I believe that proponents of both sides should take the time to read and ponder upon his arguments and conclusions.

Planck and Einstein were two of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century. Their brilliant method and insights offer real alternatives to the dry, reductionist and abstract "set of axioms" that generally characterizes both science and engineering today. If we are to master advanced forms of energy, and to promote the development of our Solar System, these two thinkers should become part of your mental life.

There was insight into the scientific career and obstacles encountered when promoting different perspectives. The causality question is investigated from various perspectives which was interesting.

This book is quite interesting. It gives a very clear insight of Max Plank's scientific and philosophical thinking. This is a great book for scientific enthusiast as well as for those who are curious about how scientists think. In this book you will see how the scientific process was thought out by one of the great scientists of the 20th century. It also shows that this man of science was also a man of ethics and a man who was able to think outside the realm of science. A good read for young aspiring scientist as well as those who are already experienced.

Gives important details about max's life and work.Nice read for anyone into physics.Can get a bit theoretical though.