Michael's Reviews > The Evolution of Physics: From Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta

I first picked this book up thinking that it would provide a broad overview of the entire history of Physics. I really wanted Einstein's take on Aristotle, Lucretius and maybe even the pre-Socratics in a sweeping history of scientific thought. On this account, I was sorely disappointed. Einstein summarily dismisses all physics prior to Galileo, and I almost summarily dismissed the book as a result. It sat on my shelf for about two years until I recently picked it up thinking I needed a new way of seeing the world after having immersed myself in historical and cultural studies over the last few months. I am glad I picked it up again. This is a really good book. It is not only good because Einstein is a master at explaining complicated physics in a way that a layman like I am can understand; the book is also good because Einstein gives a compelling portrayal of the creativity, thought experiments and testing involved in a scientific approach to reasoning. It is this latter part that I greatly enjoyed. Essentially, as Einstein explains it, modern Physics is a way of looking at problems, testing them and resolving them through scientific theory. However, each time scientific theory solves a problem, it creates a new set of problems that furthers scientific inquiry. As a result, mechanical physics gives way to field theory which gives way to relativity which leads us to quantum mechanics. In each step of this intellectual journey, some ideas are discarded by the new theory, but others are more fully explained and understood. It is an exciting process, and in the book's portrayal I really came to appreciate the perspective and the discipline of scientific reasoning. This is a great book for anyone whose interest in pop culture science has lead them to pick up Greene's Elegant Universe and similar popular explanations of physics and science.