Reactionaries and Einstein's Fame: "German Scientists for the Preservation of Pure Science," Relativity, and the Bad Nauheim Meeting

TL;DR

This paper examines the 1920 anti-relativity rally and Einstein's debate with Lenard, analyzing their impact on Einstein's reputation and scientific standing using new documentary evidence from Einstein's collected papers.

Contribution

It provides a detailed historical analysis of the 1920 events and their influence on Einstein's career, supported by newly available archival materials.

Findings

The 1920 rally and debate significantly affected Einstein's public image.

New documentary evidence clarifies Einstein's responses and the context of the events.

The events reflect the scientific and political tensions of the era.

Abstract

Two important and unpleasant events occurred in Albert Einstein's life in 1920: That August an antirelativity rally was held in the large auditorium of the Berlin Philharmonic, and a few weeks later Einstein was drawn into a tense and highly publicized debate with Philipp Lenard on the merits of relativity at a meeting in Bad Nauheim, Germany. I review these events and discuss how they affected Einstein in light of new documentary evidence that has become available through the publication of Volume 10 of the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein.