137 - Arthur I. Miller [0]
“A fascinating and unlikely story, one that Miller follows exceedingly well through its twists and turns. His style is both brisk and accessible, making the book exciting to read as well as informative.”
—Gino Segrè, Physics World
“Engrossing…. Readers who persevere may find this intense mixture of science and psychoanalysis to their liking.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“[A] rewarding account of the intersection of two great minds.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Captivating, succinct and accessible.”
—Marianne Freiberger, Plus
“Arthur I. Miller, the distinguished historian of physics, has cleverly hit on the idea of using the relationship between the two men to give an interdisciplinary perspective on Pauli’s life. The book serves as the first popular biography of this outstanding scientist and is long overdue.”
—Graham Farmelo, Times Higher Education Supplement
Also by Arthur I. Miller
Empire of the Stars: Obsession, Friendship, and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes
Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty That Causes Havoc
Insights of Genius: Imagery and Creativity in Science and Art
Imagery in Scientific Thought: Creating 20th-Century Physics
137
Jung, Pauli, and the Pursuit of a Scientific Obsession
Arthur I. Miller
W • W • Norton & Company New York London
To Lesley
Copyright © 2009 by Arthur I. Miller
Previously published in hardcover under the title Deciphering the Cosmic Number: The Strange Friendship of Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung
All rights reserved
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Arthur I.
[Deciphering the cosmic number]
137: Jung, Pauli, and the pursuit of a scientific obsession / Arthur I. Miller.—Norton pbk. [ed.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-0-393-33864-5
1. Pauli, Wolfgang, 1900–1958. 2. Jung, C. G. (Carl Gustav), 1875–1961. 3. Numerology. 4. Symbolism of numbers. 5. Physics—Philosophy. I. Title. II. Title: One thirty-seven. III. Title: One three seven.
QC16.P37M55 2010
133.3'35—dc22
2009052164
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1 Dangerously Famous
2 Early Successes, Early Failures
3 The Philosopher’s Stone
4 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
5 Intermezzo—Three versus Four: Alchemy, Mysticism, and the Dawn of Modern Science
6 Pauli, Heisenberg, and the Great Quantum Breakthrough
7 Mephistopheles
8 The Dark Hunting Ground of the Mind
9 Mandalas
10 The Superior Man Sets His Life in Order
11 Synchronicity
12 Dreams of Primal Numbers
13 Second Intermezzo—Road to Yesterday
14 Through the Looking Glass
15 The Mysterious Number 137
Epilogue: The Legacy of Pauli and Jung
Notes
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Acknowledgments
LOOKING into the story of Carl Jung and Wolfgang Pauli has taken me on a journey into ways of exploring the cosmos that transcend psychology and physics and transported me to areas to which I had never before given serious thought. A supposedly rational physicist and historian, I found myself investigating alchemy, mysticism, and the Kabbalah.
I owe an enormous debt to my friend and colleague Karl von Meyenn who opened many doors to me in my study of Pauli’s life. For over thirty years Karl has worked on editing Pauli’s vast correspondence, now published in eight splendid volumes. He was extremely generous in sharing unpublished insights and documents for which I am hugely appreciative.
Early in my research I had the good fortune to meet Carl Jung’s grandson, Andreas Jung. He graciously received me at 228 Seestrasse, Küsnacht, near Zürich,