Articles on MILEVA MARIĆ and
SIGMUND FREUD
MILEVA MARIĆ:
EINSTEIN’S FIRST WIFE
The articles below examine the claims that
Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Marić, contributed substantively to,
or even co-authored, Einstein’s early papers. The first article is a
critique of the Australian documentary “Einstein’s Wife”,
broadcast by US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 2003. The second article
is a critique of the material on the PBS “Einstein’s Wife”
website, which includes lesson plans for high school students. The third
article is a comprehensive examination of the material adduced by the main
proponents of the claims made for Mileva Marić in relation to
Einstein’s work. Also below are my critical examinations of the writings
of the main proponents of the thesis that Marić collaborated with Einstein
on his early scientific papers.
Einstein’s Wife:
Mileva Marić 1 - The documentary
“Einstein’s Wife” gives a thoroughly misleading account of the
role of Mileva Marić in Einstein’s early scientific achievements.
Einstein’s Wife:
Mileva Marić 2 - The PBS “Einstein’s
Wife” website is an exercise in misinformation concerning the claims that
Mileva Marić made substantive contributions to Einstein’s early
scientific work.
Mileva Marić: Einstein’s Wife
- The claims about Mileva Marić’s alleged contributions to
Einstein’s early scientific achievements are devoid of credible
supporting evidence.
PBS Theory and Practice: The
Case of Einstein’s Wife
- Contrary to PBS’s editorial policies, blatant errors are abundant on
their “Einstein’s
Wife” website.
“Einstein’s Wife” Film: List of Errors - List of errors, misrepresentations, and contentions without substantive evidence, in the “Einstein’s Wife” documentary.
“Einstein’s Wife” PBS Website: List of Errors - List of errors, misrepresentations, and contentions without substantive evidence, on the PBS “Einstein’s Wife” website.
Defending “Einstein’s
Wife” Film - My responses to writer/producer
Geraldine Hilton’s initial comments on my critique of her film.
Defending “Einstein’s
Wife” 2 - My responses to writer/producer
Geraldine Hilton’s reply to my enumeration of errors in her film.
Defending the PBS
“Einstein’s Wife” Website - My
responses to writer/producer Geraldine Hilton’s reply to my enumeration
of errors on the PBS "Einstein's Wife" website.
Einstein’s Wife: A Challenge to PBS
- PBS is tardy in responding to a complaint about its “Einstein’s
Wife” website.
Einstein’s
Wife: An Open Letter to PBS - PBS has
failed to correct blatant errors on the “Einstein's Wife” website.
Einstein’s
Wife: PBS Fails the Test of Integrity - PBS has
commissioned an author lacking the requisite credentials to rewrite its “Einstein’s
Wife” website
while continuing to promote and sell the meretricious documentary.
Einstein’s
Wife: PBS Continues to Fail the Test of Integrity - The revised “Einstein's
Wife” web pages (September/October 2007) continue to propagate a grossly
misleading story about Mileva Marić.
Einstein’s Wife: Mileva Marić 3 - The revised “Einstein’s Wife” website (October 2007) is replete with errors, misconceptions, and misrepresentations of the historical evidence.
Einstein specialists comment on
the “Einstein’s Wife” documentary.
Senta
Troemel-Ploetz
Senta Troemel-Ploetz is the author
of a 1990 article “Mileva Einstein-Marić: The Woman Who Did
Einstein’s Mathematics”.
Who Did Einstein’s Mathematics?:
A Response to Troemel-Ploetz - A detailed
critique of Senta Troemel-Ploetz’s much-cited 1990 article.
Defending Mrs Einstein
- Senta Troemel-Ploetz responds to criticisms of her arguments.
Evan
Harris Walker
Evan Harris Walker is one of the most
prominent proponents of the contention that Mileva Marić co-authored
Einstein's celebrated 1905 papers.
Walker’s Letter in Physics Today,
February 1991, is here subjected to a critical analysis.
Evan Harris Walker
was president of the Walker Cancer Research Institute. Some information about
the Institute is provided in this short article.
Dord Krstić
Dord Krstić is another proponent of the claim that Mileva Marić collaborated on Einstein's early work in physics.
Critique of Krstić’s
1991 "Appendix" - My
examination of the claims made by Krstić in his "Appendix" to E.
R. Einstein's 1991 memoir of her husband Hans Albert Einstein.
Critique of Krstić’s
Mileva & Albert Einstein: Their Love
and Scientific Collaboration - My examination of the
claims made by Kristić in his 2004 book.
Andrea Gabor
Critique of Gabor (1995) – An
examination of the chapter on Mileva
Marić in Andrea Gabor’s book Einstein’s
Wife: Work and Marriage in the Lives of Five Great Twentieth Century Women.
Christopher Jon Bjerknes
Critique of Bjerknes – An examination of Bjerknes’ contention that Mileva Marić was the author (or co-author) of Einstein’s celebrated 1905 papers.
Historical Evidence in Science
Handling
evidence in history: the case of Einstein's Wife
- Alberto A. Martinez
discusses how historical evidence in science should be assessed, with
illustrative examples from the "Einstein's Wife" documentary and
related material.
John
Stachel's "Appendix" to Einstein's
Miraculous Year (1905) -
Stachel's detailed refutation of the contention that Abraham Joffe claimed to have
seen Einstein's original 1905 manuscripts.
John Stachel's analysis of Einstein's use
of personal pronouns in the letters to Mileva
Marić.
Albrecht Fölsing's Die Zeit article: Keine 'Mutter der Relativitätstheorie' - English translation.
Walter Isaacson, Einstein, and Mileva Marić - A critical examination of Isaacson's discussion of the role of Marić in Einstein's scientific achievements in his book Einstein: His Life and Universe.
“Einstein’s Wife” Study Guide
- An article examining the school students Study Guide produced by Australian
Teachers of Media.
ARTICLES ON SIGMUND FREUD
Jeffrey Masson and Freud’s seduction theory:
A new fable based on old myths An abridged version of an
article published in History of the Human
Sciences, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1998, pp. 1-21.
Jeffrey Masson's misleading account of the
prehistory of the seduction theory Addendum to History of the Human Sciences article
(1998).
Psychoanalytic Mythology - A
short article examining the myths surrounding Freud’s seduction theory.
A seductive story - A short
article discussing the claims of Jeffrey Masson in a broadcast on New Zealand
National Radio in May 2006.
Freud Returns? Critical comments on a 2004 Scientific American article by Mark Solms.
Freud's theories of repression and memory
- A critique of Phil Mollon’s book Freud
and False Memory Syndrome. Published in The
Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, Fall-Winter, Vol. 2, No. 1,
2003, pp. 147-162.
Pre-publication versions of journal articles:
Jeffrey
Masson and Freud’s seduction theory: A new
fable based on old myths. Published in History of the Human Sciences,
Vol. 11, No. 1, 1998, pp. 1-21. (Note: This is a pre-publication version of the
article.)
Mythologizing of psychoanalytic history: Deception and self-deception in Freud’s
accounts of the seduction theory episode. Published in History of Psychiatry, xii, 2001, pp.
329-352. (Note: This is a pre-publication version of the article.)
Myth of Freud's
ostracism by the medical community in
1896-1905: Jeffrey Masson’s assault on truth. Published in History
of Psychology, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2002, pp. 115-134. (Note: This is
a pre-publication version of the article.)
Critique of Gleaves &
Hernandez (1999) A Comment on Gleaves and
Hernandez's "Recent reformulations of Freud's development and abandonment of
this seduction theory: Historical/scientific clarification or a continued
assault on truth" (1999). Published in History of Psychology,
Vol. 5, No. 1, 2002, pp. 85-91. (Note: This is a pre-publication version of the
article.)
Grünbaum’s
Tally Argument Published in History of the
Human Sciences, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1996, pp. 43-57. (Note: This is
a pre-publication version of the article.)
BOOK
Seductive
Mirage: An Exploration of the Work of Sigmund Freud
Acknowledgement of Error in Seductive Mirage
Contact: allenesterson@compuserve.com