The Invisible Century
Essay by 24 • December 28, 2010 • 527 Words (3 Pages) • 1,119 Views
The Invisible Century
Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud were undoubtedly the two most influential thinkers of the 20th century. Only meeting once, they both traveled parallel journeys of discovery that altered forever our understanding of the very nature of reality. After years of acute observation, thought experimentation, and intuitive theory building, Einstein traveled to the relativistic outer universe and Freud the unconscious inner-universe. Their imaginative leaps took them to places where most of their contemporaries did not think or dare to venture. Experimental findings soon began to confirm many of Einstein's theories, ultimately establishing the revolutionary status of his work. Freud's psychoanalytic therapy was becoming widely accepted through his proven patient experiences and case studies.
Einstein developed the theory of general relativity and challenged the existing paradigm of classical physics. Einstein discovered the relationships previously hidden from our senses or naked-eye. Einstein's faith remained in mathematics. It motivated him to move forward with his research, even if no physical evidence existed. Without the physical evidence to predict the irregularities in the motions of the heavens, Einstein took a leap of faith into the invisible outer universe to predict the phenomena of bent light and curved space. In November 1919, his theory was proven when the announcement of the eclipse was confirmed with existence of bent light and curved space. This new theory on gravity created a new science called cosmology.
Freud's studies started in a laboratory research environment. The research involved searching for the connection from the brain to the mind. Due to the lack of evidence, Freud diverted his attention from neurology to psychology in order to identify what he describes as the "causes behind effects." Freud decided to venture into the invisible inner-universe and changed his studies to the unconscious of the mind.
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