The Epistemic Virtues of the Virtuous Theorist: On Albert Einstein and His Autobiography
arXiv:2002.01301 · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-48893-6_5
Abstract
Albert Einstein's practice in physics and his philosophical positions gradually reoriented themselves from more empiricist towards rationalist viewpoints. This change accompanied his turn towards unified field theory and different presentations of himself, eventually leading to his highly programmatic Autobiographical Notes in 1949. Einstein enlisted his own history and professional stature to mold an ideal of a theoretical physicist who represented particular epistemic virtues and moral qualities. These in turn reflected the theoretical ideas of his strongly mathematical unification program and professed Spinozist beliefs.
arXiv commentPublished in: Jeroen van Dongen and Herman Paul (eds.), Epistemic Virtues in the Sciences and the Humanities (Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science, vol. 321), Cham: Springer, 2017, pp. 63-77
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