Not playing at dice

Why it stays with me

Einstein wrote this in a letter to his friend Max Born, usually remembered as “God does not play dice”. He was objecting to quantum mechanics, which says that at the smallest scales nature is governed by probabilities, not certainties.

Einstein helped create quantum theory, yet he never accepted this part of it. On this point the experiments have gone against him. As The Grand Design explains, quantum mechanics has passed every test we have given it, randomness included.

I like this quote because it shows that even the greatest minds can be wrong about something they feel strongly about. Nature is not obliged to match our intuitions, and good science means following the evidence even when it is uncomfortable.