#033 It's All Relative With Albert Einstein and Dr. Elise Crull
Dr. Elise Crull and Monica McCarthy at Caveat. Photo by Phillip Van Nostrand
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
In this episode with professor Elise Crull, you’ll hear what just what the heck metaphysics is, how Einstein’s inter-disciplinary education and interests improved his scientific discoveries, how his view of science inspired his dedication to civil rights, and the relationship between philosophy and technology. #thehappierhour
IN THIS EPISODE:
Fun Fact: ‘Albert Einstein’ is an anagram of ‘Ten elite brains’.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The World As I See It by Albert Einstein
Einstein Quotes:
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space… Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
Einstein on Schopenhauer:
I do not believe in free will. Schopenhauer's words: 'Man can do what he wants, but he cannot will what he wills,' accompany me in all situations throughout my life and reconcile me with the actions of others, even if they are rather painful to me. This awareness of the lack of free will keeps me from taking myself and my fellow men too seriously as acting and deciding individuals, and from losing my temper.
“What are you most passionately curious about?”
ABOUT ELISE CRULL
After studying physics and astronomy at Calvin College, Professor Elise Crull decided to "go meta", receiving a PhD in the History & Philosophy of Science from the University of Notre Dame. She is currently Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, where her research interests include historical and philosophical foundations of physics (on which she's got a few books) and the intersection between physics and metaphysics. Since her research interests are deeply interdisciplinary, Prof. Crull frequently engages with emergent issues such as the ethics of science and technology, the perception of science and technology in the public sphere, the importance of history and philosophy in science education, and the nature of the science-theology-philosophy triad.When she's not thinking about, you know, the underlying reality of space and time, Dr. Crull enjoys drinking single-malt scotch, listening to Rachmaninoff's 3rd symphony on repeat, climbing mountains without the appropriate gear, and dreaming about working for NASA.