It's shocking to say that maybe the most renowned scientist in history is not a Scientist. But according to the Value Zodiac model, Albert Einstein was most likely the scientist's nemesis -- the Shaman.
Einstein
was a theorist. Theorists are thinkers that use conceptualization to
perform educated guesses to discover truth. Theorists often intuit an
answer. They stumble onto ideas that seem to "make sense" to them,
reflecting the central value theme of harmony that represents the
Shaman.
Physicists have long understood that electricity and
magnetism were related. The question that faced physicists in Einstein's
time was how electricity and magnetism (E & M) were related to
classical Newtonian physics of moving bodies.
The way in which
Einstein intuited his way into history highlights Einstein's Shaman
disposition. Einstein started by using the unusual experimental tool of
the thought experiment. Unlike traditional experimentation which relies
on setting up a unique set of circumstances in the physical world,
controlling for variables, and measuring the results, the thought
experiment is one that takes place entirely in the imaginative mind.
When
Einstein was 16 years old, he imagined himself trying to chase a beam
of light. He realized that if he was moving at the speed of light
alongside the beam, he would see the beam as being in a fixed location
according to his perspective. This was his first inkling of what
eventually became his theory of special relativity.
Einstein began
developing relativity by supposing that the speed of light was
constant. At the time, he had no physical evidence of this, but he
inferred this from the work of another scientist named Maxwell, who had
done some groundbreaking work in the field of E & M. With the
assumption that the speed of light was constant, Einstein created a
couple of thought experiments.
Taken to the next level, Einstein
imagined himself and his wife looking at each other across an open
field. Einstein stood upon a moving railroad car. His wife stood on a
fixed point on the ground. If Einstein were to fire a particle of light
between two horizontal plates on his cart, he would see the particle
moving up and down between the plates, but his wife would see the
particle bouncing up and down but along diagonal paths as the cart moved
down the track.
If our assumption that the speed of light is
constant is true, this creates a paradox because the particle is seen by
both parties is hitting the mirrors at the same time, even though the
particle appears to travel a longer distance as seen by Einstein's wife
while traveling the same speed.
This doesn't make sense. How can
two things travel different distances in the same time while moving at
the same speed? The answer lies in examining the clocks each person is
using to measure time. Einstein's clock moves forward at a slower rate
than his wife's clock. This is the concept of time dilation.
Einstein made this leap of logic without a shred of experimental data. He reasoned his way to this result in his head. It allowed into derive of his famous mass-energy equivalence relationship.
Einstein made this leap of logic without a shred of experimental data. He reasoned his way to this result in his head. It allowed into derive of his famous mass-energy equivalence relationship.
Many of
his contemporary physicists roundly condemned his findings -- accusing
Einstein of circular reasoning. His postulating that the speed of light
was a constant made his calculations tremendously easy and elegant. But
he was right!
Good theorists are rarely good experimentalists.
Because they so often focus on the big picture or big ideas, they often
quickly become bored with the mundane effort that is associated with
scientific experimentation. Although Einstein published his general
theory of relativity in 1915, relativity was not provided an
experimental basis until Arthur Eddington and his team performed
observations of stars during a solar eclipse in 1919. This again
illustrates how important it is for people of different approaches to
life work together to maximize the impact of both.
Einstein was a
Shaman. Shamans always look for simplicity. The elegance of E = mc2 is
in its ability to condense so much complicated physics into a simple
relationship. This simple relationship "made sense" to Einstein. It
reflected the central value theme of harmony that is associated with the
Shaman.
The same sentiment which led him to his biggest
breakthrough also later led him to his biggest professional challenge
after other scientists began to develop the probabilistic-centered
theory of quantum physics.
Einstein famously said, "God does not play
dice." Since quantum theory did not make sense to him, he rejected it
despite the experimental data that emerged to support it. He worked to
the end of his life trying to refute quantum physics. In the end,
Einstein was relegated to the fringes of his profession because quantum
theory conflicted with his vision of the world. Einstein's story only
proves the central tenet of the Value Zodiac -- that we all have unique
gifts which are worldview helps us to find tremendous insight, but if we
don't keep an open mind to other points of view, we can lose that which
makes us great.
Nick Wolff is President of Wolff Consulting Company. We design,
build, and explore tools to help people develop a better understanding
of themselves and others. Through these tools, people are able to learn
how to be more effective and accomplish professional and life goals.
Visit our website http://www.ValuesAndInfluence.com and discover how we can help you and your team succeed.
Visit our website http://www.ValuesAndInfluence.com and discover how we can help you and your team succeed.
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