Max Planck with Albert Einstein
Next year 2018 commemorates 100th year anniversary since Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work of Quantum Theory. The discovery of Planck’s constant enabled him to define a new universal set of physical units, all based on fundamental physical constants upon which much of quantum theory is based. Max Planck was also a man who understood the power of intuition.
The Character:
Max Born (Nobel Prize for Quantum Mechanics in 1954) wrote about Planck:
“He was, by nature, a conservative mind; he had nothing of the revolutionary and was thoroughly skeptical about speculations. Yet his belief in the compelling force of logical reasoning from facts was so strong that he did not flinch from announcing the most revolutionary idea which ever has shaken physics.”
Even though Max Planck was conservative in character by nature, he had an interesting observation about scientists of his time in the following quote:
A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.
He knew how stubborn scientists were then. When one person “believes” something, he tends to hold his initial belief no matter what proof is presented against his belief. The person tends to be loyal to what he had already stated (publicly) no matter what. Planck however was interested in more than logic and his quote proves that he had a brilliant intuition.
When Planck had been appointed dean of Berlin University, it was possible for him to call Einstein to Berlin and establish a new professorship for him (1914). Soon the two scientists became close friends and met frequently to play music together.
Non-logic over Logic
Whether it is emotion like face-saving, self-esteem or pride, we are strongly influenced by the illogical side of human nature. It is almost intuitive. When pressed to choose between a logical argument and a stubborn illogical (unreasonable) argument like the scientists above, the stubborn side wins. Max Planck understood that nature.
As for his family life, he had total 5 children from two marriages (first wife died), but 4 of them died before his death. His son Erwin was particularly close to him, but his son’s failed attempt to assassinate Hitler ended in his execution in 1945. His son’s death destroyed Max Planck’s will to live. Planck died on October 1947.
Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. He was an active member of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science and served twice as its President. The Society was later renamed to the Max Planck Society and in 1948 became the Max Planck Institutes in honor of its former president, Max Planck. The Max Planck Society supports fundamental research in the natural, life and social sciences. Today, it has 83 locations throughout Germany.
There is no question that Max Planck was one of the outstanding scientists of the 20th century, the following quote also marks him as having a brilliant intuitive mind::
“Insight must precede application.” … Max Planck