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Schrödinger: Life and Thought Hardcover – 28 July 1989
by Walter J. Moore (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
Erwin Schrödinger was a brilliant and charming Austrian, a great scientist, and a man with a passionate interest in people and ideas. In this, the first comprehensive biography of Schrödinger, Walter Moore draws upon recollections of Schrödinger's friends, family and colleagues, and on contemporary records, letters and diaries. Schrödinger's life is portrayed against the backdrop of Europe at a time of change and unrest. His best-known scientific work was the discovery of wave mechanics, for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in 1933. However, Erwin was also an enthusiastic explorer of the ideas of Hindu mysticism, and in the mountains of his beloved Tyrol he sought a philosophic unity of Mind and Nature. Although not Jewish, he left his prestigious position at Berlin University as soon as the Nazis seized power. After a short time in Oxford he moved to Graz, but barely escaped from Austria after the Anschluss. He then helped Eamon de Valera establish an Institute for Advanced Studies in Dublin. It was here that he spent the happiest years of his life, and also where he wrote his most famous and influential book What is Life?, which attracted some of the brightest minds of his generation into molecular biology. Schrodinger enjoyed a close friendship with Einstein, and the two maintained a prolific correspondence all their lives. Schrödinger led a very intense life, both in his scientific research and in his personal life. Walter Moore has written a highly readable biography of this fascinating and complex man which will appeal not only to scientists but to anyone interested in the history of our times, and in the life and thought of one of the great men of twentieth-century science.
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Review
"It is an attempt to analyze a soul, and in that respect, it surpasses even `The Double Helix' by James Watson in its examination of the most visceral drives of a great scientist." The New York Times Book Review
"What is Life? That Schrödinger knew the answer, in more ways than one, is revealed to us in this biograpy." Nature
"This is the best book available today on the life and work of Schrödinger." Times Higher Education Supplement
"It is really two books in one: a clear, elegant and complete account of Schrödinger's scientific life and achievements, and a detailed and insightful account of Schrödinger's private life." Physics Today
"...a literate, readable biography accessible to scientists and humanists alike." American Historical Review
"It is very good on the science--sometimes too good--for it does not shirk detailed expositions of Schrödinger's theories." Observer
"An unusually thorough and competent scientific biography of one of the founders of 20th-century physical theory...an absorbing account of the social and scientific culture of Europe in the period after WWI." Choice
"...full and candid story." New York Review of Books
"The quality of this biography is outstanding, and it promises to be the key authority on the life of work of Erwin Schrödinger for years to come." Science Books and Films
"...a delightfully interesting and sympathetic view of a complex and multifaceted man....This book can be recommended as one of the best scientific biographies for how veridically and sympathetically it treats its difficult, complex subject." Perceptual and Motor Skills
Product details
Publisher : Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (28 July 1989)
Language : English
Hardcover : 528 pages
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From other countries
Rolando Blest
Schrödinger
Reviewed in the United States on 28 April 2019Good:The book is a very good history about the life of Schrödinger. For meit gave details that I did not know. If you wanto to know how is the life of a physicist during the 30's and 40's ( Second War World) this is the book.
Bad: the quality of the pressing is not got in the pages where there are photographies. I hope that in the future pressing this could be resolved.
Lo bueno. Este libro es muy bueno si uno desea conocer la vida de Schrödinger. Al leerlo ( aún no lo termino pues estoy en la página 356) lo he encontrado muy claro y con detalles que no conocía. Además hace notar los hechos situados en el período de la Segunda Guerra Mundial donde las cosas eran muy dificiles para todo el mundo.
Lo malo: La calidad de la impresión en las páginas donde hay fotografías no es buena. espero que en las próximas ediciones mejoren este tema.
Bad: the quality of the pressing is not got in the pages where there are photographies. I hope that in the future pressing this could be resolved.
Lo bueno. Este libro es muy bueno si uno desea conocer la vida de Schrödinger. Al leerlo ( aún no lo termino pues estoy en la página 356) lo he encontrado muy claro y con detalles que no conocía. Además hace notar los hechos situados en el período de la Segunda Guerra Mundial donde las cosas eran muy dificiles para todo el mundo.
Lo malo: La calidad de la impresión en las páginas donde hay fotografías no es buena. espero que en las próximas ediciones mejoren este tema.
Junior
Interesting
Reviewed in Germany on 6 June 2019Very interesting book. Of course, not all passages correspond to their own interests, but since I selected something, I learned a lot. The physical descriptions of his works and thoughts were very exciting.
Leo Carter
AN EXCELLENT ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF AN INCREDIBLY GIFTED SCIENTIST
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2009Of all those who have walked this Earth, none can deny that Erwin Schrodinger must rank as one of the greatest geniuses of all time. He developed wave mechanics, the inspired discovery which revolutionized quantum mechanics. He derived both the non-relativistic and relativistic versions of his Schrodinger wave equation - the foundations of modern quantum mechanics. He also proved that the mathematical result arrived at by both wave and matrix mechanics was identical, thereby unifying quantum mechanics into a coherent whole. In short, Schrodinger helped us come closer to understanding the true nature of atoms and subatomic particles than perhaps anyone before or after him. His work made it possible for DNA to be discovered and for molecular biology to develop into the vibrant field that it is today. His discoveries are also relevant to the study of consciousness thanks to their applications to the 'Quantum Mind Theory'.
In the light of these great facts about Erwin Schrodinger, one would expect a considerably excellent effort to be made on any biography written about him. This is the case here. The author has written a thoroughly detailed and accurate account of the scientist's personal and professional life. All of his discoveries are described and explained in understandable language (the author is a research scientist himself). Care is also taken to emphasise the passion that Schrodinger had regarding his quest to find answers to seemingly insurmountable mathematical and physical questions.
Overall, this is a great and fitting book about the greatest of scientists.
In the light of these great facts about Erwin Schrodinger, one would expect a considerably excellent effort to be made on any biography written about him. This is the case here. The author has written a thoroughly detailed and accurate account of the scientist's personal and professional life. All of his discoveries are described and explained in understandable language (the author is a research scientist himself). Care is also taken to emphasise the passion that Schrodinger had regarding his quest to find answers to seemingly insurmountable mathematical and physical questions.
Overall, this is a great and fitting book about the greatest of scientists.
One person found this helpful
Clara Janés
Five Stars
Reviewed in Spain on 29 November 2014muy muy bueno
ivassena
Positive review
Reviewed in Italy on 23 August 2014Prompt delivery. Product complies with expectations. Extensive biography, sympathetically elaborated and with objective historical evaluation. Recommended for those who want to understand how a visionary grows and takes place.
Maria Eugenia Nunez
TOTAL PERFECTION.
Reviewed in the United States on 4 August 2015THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TOTAL PERFECTION. MAILED SUPER FAST. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THIS BOOK IN THEIR LIBRARY.
Adam Carlton
Great physicist - dubious kind of guy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2009I was impressed by the freshness of Moore's writing and his diligence in unearthing the daily life of Erwin Schrodinger over so many years. What do you make of a guy who spent his life falling in love easily with so many women and then seducing them? A man who in his forties suffers what Moore euphemistically calls a 'Lolita complex'? He ends up with three daughters, none by his wife, who he remains married to until the end. At least the girls got good intellectual genes.
Schrodinger was no friend to the concept of 'bourgeois marriage', and it might be argued in these enlightened times that he was doing nothing wrong. However, his lifelong self-centred and adolescent attitude to relationships led to collateral damage to many (not all) of the woman with whom he involved himself. Typically it was the younger or less well-educated who were left holding the baby, or worse.
His work was mostly blindingly competent in the spirit of mathematical physics. A strong visualiser, he was close in philosophy to Einstein and had little patience with the Bohr-Born interpretation of his wave equation. His culture, approach, techniques and beliefs all seem curiously dated now, but this was a first rate scientific biography.
This version of the book has the physics as well as the sex. The level is not particularly daunting ... first degree in physics or maths is fine.
Schrodinger was no friend to the concept of 'bourgeois marriage', and it might be argued in these enlightened times that he was doing nothing wrong. However, his lifelong self-centred and adolescent attitude to relationships led to collateral damage to many (not all) of the woman with whom he involved himself. Typically it was the younger or less well-educated who were left holding the baby, or worse.
His work was mostly blindingly competent in the spirit of mathematical physics. A strong visualiser, he was close in philosophy to Einstein and had little patience with the Bohr-Born interpretation of his wave equation. His culture, approach, techniques and beliefs all seem curiously dated now, but this was a first rate scientific biography.
This version of the book has the physics as well as the sex. The level is not particularly daunting ... first degree in physics or maths is fine.
4 people found this helpful
Klaus Stiefel
All aspects of Schrödinger covered
Reviewed in the United States on 26 December 2005Walter Moore captures the life of Erwin Schrödinger, one of the most important theoretical physicists of the 20th century, covering his career, science, philosophy and personal life.
In this ambitious book Moore tries to shed light on all aspects of Schrödinger's life, and tries to connect them, but no coherent picture evolves. I had the impression, however, that this is not Moore's fault, but that the pieces that made up Erwin Schrödinger did not fit into a coherent whole.
A gifted student from an early age on, he took on physics. After initially dwelling in different sub-fields, he developed wave mechanics at the (for creative work in theoretical physics) late age of 38. His almost unparalelled mathematical skills made this advance possible. Schrödinger never saw mathematics only as a tool, but he greatly appreciated it's beauty. Moore does an excellent job in describing the intellectual journey towards this discovery, as well as the giants on who's shoulders Schrödinger was standing. For this work Schrödinger received the Nobel prize in 1933.
In his later years, he dedicated a substantial part of his efforts to the search for a unified (quantum mechanics - relativity) theory of physics. Just like Einstein, with whom he had an extensive correspondence about the mater, he failed. Schrödinger's scientific work is explained in quite a bit of detail. Despite being quite familiar with differential equations, but without a background in theoretical physics, I must admit that I had a hard time following Schrödinger's insights as presented by Moore.
From his student days on, Erwin Schrödinger was a believer in the Indian teachings of Vedanta, proclaiming a one-ness of all minds, which make up reality. It is hard to see how a rational 20th century scientist could adhere so uncritically to an ancient religion. However, these beliefs seemingly did not influence his science much and neither did they influence his personal life.
His personal life was, nevertheless, unusual. He was a lover of interesting women, and he had many (I am all for that!), but many of his loves were still teenagers, while he was in his 30s and 40s (very weired!). For a man of such high intellectual capacity, this shows very poor moral judgment. He was not solely interested in sex, but sincerely in love with many of them and wrote them love poems.
Schrödinger also showed somewhat poor moral judgment in terms of politics, although the turmoils of the 20th century greatly affected him (he was removed from his professorship in Graz by the Nazis). He was not an opportunist, like so many of his fellow Austrian and German physicists. Although he leaned to the left, he basically was not interested in politics at all. An irresponsible neglect during the rise of fascism in Europe!
Moore brings together all these aspects of Erwin Schrödinger, and he does so with lots of knowledge of the local culture and history of the places Schrödinger visited and lived at (Vienna, Graz, Dublin, Cambridge). This is a well researched book in all aspects and one with lots of sympathy for "Erwin".
In this ambitious book Moore tries to shed light on all aspects of Schrödinger's life, and tries to connect them, but no coherent picture evolves. I had the impression, however, that this is not Moore's fault, but that the pieces that made up Erwin Schrödinger did not fit into a coherent whole.
A gifted student from an early age on, he took on physics. After initially dwelling in different sub-fields, he developed wave mechanics at the (for creative work in theoretical physics) late age of 38. His almost unparalelled mathematical skills made this advance possible. Schrödinger never saw mathematics only as a tool, but he greatly appreciated it's beauty. Moore does an excellent job in describing the intellectual journey towards this discovery, as well as the giants on who's shoulders Schrödinger was standing. For this work Schrödinger received the Nobel prize in 1933.
In his later years, he dedicated a substantial part of his efforts to the search for a unified (quantum mechanics - relativity) theory of physics. Just like Einstein, with whom he had an extensive correspondence about the mater, he failed. Schrödinger's scientific work is explained in quite a bit of detail. Despite being quite familiar with differential equations, but without a background in theoretical physics, I must admit that I had a hard time following Schrödinger's insights as presented by Moore.
From his student days on, Erwin Schrödinger was a believer in the Indian teachings of Vedanta, proclaiming a one-ness of all minds, which make up reality. It is hard to see how a rational 20th century scientist could adhere so uncritically to an ancient religion. However, these beliefs seemingly did not influence his science much and neither did they influence his personal life.
His personal life was, nevertheless, unusual. He was a lover of interesting women, and he had many (I am all for that!), but many of his loves were still teenagers, while he was in his 30s and 40s (very weired!). For a man of such high intellectual capacity, this shows very poor moral judgment. He was not solely interested in sex, but sincerely in love with many of them and wrote them love poems.
Schrödinger also showed somewhat poor moral judgment in terms of politics, although the turmoils of the 20th century greatly affected him (he was removed from his professorship in Graz by the Nazis). He was not an opportunist, like so many of his fellow Austrian and German physicists. Although he leaned to the left, he basically was not interested in politics at all. An irresponsible neglect during the rise of fascism in Europe!
Moore brings together all these aspects of Erwin Schrödinger, and he does so with lots of knowledge of the local culture and history of the places Schrödinger visited and lived at (Vienna, Graz, Dublin, Cambridge). This is a well researched book in all aspects and one with lots of sympathy for "Erwin".
13 people found this helpful
Miketang
A brilliant book in every way
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2014A brilliant book in every way, covering thoroughly and judiciously the physics and life of Schrodinger as well as placing both in historical context. Yes, at first sight the physics and mathematical equations may make this appear a specialist academic tome only of interest to mathematical physicists. But the math may be skipped around. The remainder gives a fascinating insight to the scientific networks and historical background against which the quantum revolution was worked out. The author writes in a straightforward, lucid style, scientific but including at suitable points nice references (for the literate) to, for example, Goethe, Virgil and Shakespeare (not to mention Schrodinger's own ditties). A compelling, highly recommended read.
4 people found this helpful
prudence davison
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 August 2017Brilliant book. Arrived well on time and was well packaged. This was a gift and apparently the person has not yet read it, but I am sure he will be delighted. Thanks.
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