Heinz Pagels

Heinz Rudolf Pagels (February 19, 1939 – July 23, 1988) was an American physicist, an adjunct professor of physics at Rockefeller University, the executive director of the New York Academy of Sciences, and president of the International League for Human Rights. He is best known for his popular science books "The Cosmic Code" (1982), "Perfect Symmetry" (1985), and "" (1988).

History

Pagels obtained his PhD in elementary particle physics from Princeton University under the guidance of Sidney Drell. His technical work included the Physics Reports review articles "Quantum Chromodynamics" (with W. Marciano) and "Departures from Chiral Symmetry". A number of his published papers dealt with the source of the mass of elementary particles in quantum field theory, especially the Nambu-Goldstone realization of chiral symmetry breaking. The list of his graduate students includes Dan Caldi, Saul Stokar and Seth Lloyd.

Pagels was an outspoken critic of those he believed misrepresented the discoveries and ideas of science to promote mysticism and pseudoscience. In his capacity as executive director of the New York Academy of Science in 1986, Pagels submitted an affidavit in a case involving a former member of the Transcendental Meditation movement who sued the organization for fraud. [Skolnick, A.A. "Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Guru's marketing scheme promises the world eternal 'perfect health'." Journal of the American Medical Association. 1991 Oct 2;266(13):1741-2, 1744-5, 1749-50]

In 1969, Pagels married theology professor, author, and MacArthur Fellow Elaine Pagels. They had a son Mark, who died in 1987 after four years of illness. Pagels died in 1988 in a mountain climbing accident — one disturbingly similar to the imagined fatal fall he described at the end of "The Cosmic Code".

According to Michael Crichton, Pagels' work in chaos theory inspired the character Ian Malcolm in his novel "Jurassic Park".

In his book, "The Cosmic Code", Pagels wrote, "Science is not the enemy of humanity but one of the deepest expressions of the human desire to realize that vision of infinite knowledge," "Our capacity for fulfillment can come only through faith and feelings. But our capacity for survival must come from reason and knowledge." Science, he warned, is not "as resilient as commerce, religion, or politics. It needs careful nurturing." If humankind ultimately abandons science, it would be "an error that might cost us our existence." [Pagels, Heinz, "The Cosmic Code" (1982). NY: Simon & Schuster ]

Notes

Books

*"The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics As the Language of Nature" (1982). Simon & Schuster hardcover: ISBN 0-671-24802-2, 1984 Bantam mass market paperback: ISBN 0-553-24625-9
*"Perfect Symmetry: The Search for the Beginning of Time" (1985). Simon & Schuster hardcover: ISBN 0-671-46548-1, 1991 Bantam paperback: ISBN 0-553-35254-7
*"The Dreams of Reason: The Rise of the Sciences of Complexity" (1988). Simon & Schuster hardcover: ISBN 0-671-62708-2, 1989 Bantam paperback: ISBN 0-553-34710-1

External links

* [http://www.edge.org/pagels_dedication.html edge.org dedication to Pagels]
* Walter Sullivan: [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE6D8143EF935A15754C0A96E948260 "Dr. Heinz Pagels, 49, a Physicist, Dies in Fall From Colorado Peak"] . In: "The New York Times". July 26, 1988