昨夜看到一本新書,但題目和內(nèi)容似乎都不新鮮:Einstein's Greatest Mistake, A Biography(by David Bodanis, HoughtonMifflin, 2016)。作者認(rèn)為宇宙學(xué)常數(shù)還不是最大的錯(cuò)誤,更大的錯(cuò)誤是老愛因此再也不相信實(shí)驗(yàn)了。(... he never had to follow experimental evidence again. When his critics tried to bring in evidence against his later beliefs, he ignored them, confident that he would be vindicated again.) 本書真正講的“The Greatest Mistake”是老愛對(duì)量子論的態(tài)度,但我從來不認(rèn)為那是老愛的“錯(cuò)誤”——那是他的信仰。如果不是信仰,似乎很難想象他那么科學(xué)的人會(huì)無視量子論帶來的那么多果實(shí)。也許,量子論的碩果在他眼里就是一堆芒果和榴蓮,我都不吃的,他大概也不會(huì)去吃。
如今科學(xué)似乎很“科學(xué)”,不談空虛的信仰而只信實(shí)驗(yàn)和數(shù)據(jù)了。明天要聽一個(gè)巴基斯坦留學(xué)生的博士論文答辯,看他的論文,驚訝地看見他在論文前面的“獻(xiàn)詞”(Dedication): ALLAH, thank you for allowing me to live in this country. ALLAH, I live up my country to you for blessings today. I thank youfor allowing me to live in a place that lets me pray to you every day, that lets me speak out my beliefs. Thank you for the blessing that this country isto me and my family. 這好像是一段基督教的禱告詞,他把Lord改成了ALLAH。這應(yīng)該是他的信仰了吧?我們不禱告,卻有更響亮的口號(hào)——也許口號(hào)里的信仰比心里的信仰更有力?(李泳)
愛因斯坦的信仰式錯(cuò)誤? |