Einstein, Sciascia, Majorana, Amaldi, e il Rapporto tra Intellettuali e Potere (Einstein, Sciascia, Majorana, Amaldi, and the Relationship of Intellectuals with the Power)

Abstract

In Europe (e.g., in Italy), and in the States, the opinion is widely spreading that the negative consequences of modern progress are the fault of "Science". A lively debate on this topic took place among the famous writer Leonardo Sciascia and Italian physicists like Edoardo Amaldi and Emilio Segre', when Sciascia wrote his known book about the disappearance of Ettore Majorana, a book that presented Majorana (a very reserved theoretical physicist) as an example of the scientist that keeps his discoveries secret when afraid of possible evil applications. We wish to contribute now to such a question, since many special meetings did recently return to it, while celebrating the centenary of Majorana's birth (2006), or 30 years (2005) from Sciascia's book publication. It appeared natural to us to start with the figure of Einstein, who, even if extremely peaceable, supported the atomic bomb construction by his letter to Roosvelt. We discuss first the significance of part of Einsteins's scientific work (which flourished in particular one century ago): We seize this opportunity for presenting a derivation of the "twins paradox", so simple that it has been taught to Senior High School last-year students or University undergraduate students; all the present work, more in general, is addressed mainly to them. In the second part of this paper, we analyse the general meaning of Einstein's contributions to philosophy and pedagogy. The third part is entirely devoted to our main subject, i.e., to discussing the "Responsibility of the Intellectuals". The reader interested chiefly in this last part, can find it re-expounded in a self-contained way in the Appendix. More information in the Contents of this article.