Philosophy of Physics Seminar (Thursday - Week 6, MT21)

Emmy Noether (1882–1935) received the notification of dismissal from her university post in April 1933 and had to look for a university outside of Germany where she could continue her mathematical research. By the end of the year, she moved to Bryn Mawr College in the United States, and started to give guest lectures at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton in February 1934. Her move was successful, but Noether initially considered to go to Moscow and Oxford. She was enthusiastic about both options, and she even accepted an offer from Somerville College Oxford once. This chapter recovers the documents left in the Weston Library and Somerville College, the University of Oxford and Bryn Mawr College, and recounts the effort of Pavel Sergeyevich Alexandroff (1896–1982) and Helen Darbishire (1881–1961) who wished to help Noether and her academic career when she was forced to leave Göttingen.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please email James Read.