A history of personal struggle that changed Physics

Ludwig Boltzmann versus the “stuck-in-the-mud” Viennese academy

I am reading this marvelous piece of work by Professor David Lindley on the life and work of Ludwig Boltzmann. The biography of Ludwig Boltzmann is a topic that all scientists should pay attention on.

Boltzmann was a scientist way ahead of its time, but what I did not know is — and the book precisely points out — how the scientific and philosophical thinking within Vienna (at the time of the Austrian Empire) academic circles was severely contaminated by the insertion of politically-sponsored persons in key scientific positions. That said: persons without minimum proper qualification to hold academic posts of relevance within the Austrian Empire that judged Boltzmann’s works with the desire of a nemesis, but were not qualified to do it. And those who were qualified (e.g. Ernst Mach), had a strong anti-scientific via crucis against Boltzmann (the myth of the ‘nicht persönliches’ in germanic countries…).

He was an exotic man, lover of Beethoven and passionally-motivated to do science at its highest level. That’s why, in my opinion, people hated him in Vienna’s XIX century: he was brilliant and different from the status quo.

The book shows how prominent Austrian scientists flew outside the falling Habsburg Empire given the lack of opportunities for performing their work (brain drain is still a severe problem for Austria); same applies to prominent German scientists suffering with the same fate in Germany. Another famous case is a philosopher that I am a huge fan, Ludwig Wittgenstein (a genius may I add), who only found proper shelter for his research in UK.

In the end of the history: the Viennese academy lost and Boltzmann statistical mechanics laid the foundation for the later confirmation for the own physical existence of the atom!

Boltzmann now lives, despite his tragic and sad end. His past detractors are now unknown and completely forgotten.

In terms of scientific academia and philosophical thinking, I have to believe that Austria (now a leading republic in Europe) has changed quite a lot.

Well, has it?