Burkhard Heim

Burkard Heim (February 9 1925–January 14 2001) was a German theoretical physicist. He devoted a large portion of his life to the pursuit of his unified field theory. The inspiration for Heim theory is from general relativity and quantum mechanics, both of which were considered fundamental to a physical understanding of the universe. One of his childhood ambitions was to develop a method of space travel, which contributed to his motivation to find such a theory.

Scientific criticism

Heim Theory is unknown to a majority of scientists and theoretical physicists. Until fairly recently, most of Heim's works were only published in German. English papers are now becoming available primarily due to the efforts of a small group of scientists associated with the Heim Theory Grouphttp://www.heim-theory.com. For example, a paper on Heim theory and space propulsion will be published by the American Institute of Physics early in 2005, having undergone a formal peer review. There is debate on whether the publication represents an impartial support for Heim theory, because the complexities of the theory may obscure flaws which are not immediately apparent and hard to detect.

Related Topics:
Heim Theory - Majority - Scientist - Theoretical physicist - German - English - Space propulsion - Peer review - Debate - Impartial - Flaw

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There is also criticism that in consideration of the small number of scientists who support the validity of Heim theory, groupthink may be the cause of the perceived strength of the theory, rather than its intrinsic theoretical and foundational considerations. Indeed, the removal of errors introduced by the first publication of Heim theory, and translation to more common notation will be paramount for wider acceptance of the theory. Bridging the language and intellectual barriers required to understand Heim theory are the main tasks of the group working on Heim theory (see external links).

Related Topics:
Groupthink - Error - Translation

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An overview of Burkhard Heim's life targeting the general public has also been proposed. This will almost certainly be in German, from a member of the Heim-Theory group, and will be largely non-technical in nature. There are plans to write the publication in advance of wide dissemination of the theory among scientists who have the credentials to verify it. This has lead some observers to question Heim theory as it is, since the proposal appears contrary to traditional methods required for a theory to become accepted. The impression is that those proposing the publication for general audiences are more interested in generating publicity for Heim for reasons other than the dissemination of quality scientific thought for rigorous analysis and discussion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Further limiting the ease of acceptance of Heim theory was the choice of Heim to publish initially with Resch Verlag of Austria, and to remain with it, as opposed to seeking a better-known and reputable science publisher. The publisher has been associated with "new age" type publications, and this association has resulted in a generally negative first impression of Heim theory. In addition, Heim himself was interested in mystic ideas http://www.engon.de/protosimplex/px_heime.htm#Hilfe%20und such as the paranormal and alternative interpretations of reality. This has caused observers to question whether Heim himself was sufficiently impartial to separate these ideas from his comprehensive theory of everything. Indeed, Heim's later non-technical publications incorporate some notion of spirit. His rigorous main works such as those on quantum field theory do not contain such notions.

Related Topics:
Resch Verlag - Austria - Reputable - New age - First impression - Paranormal - Reality - Theory of everything - Spirit - Quantum field theory

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Supporters of Heim contend that too much emphasis has been placed on Heim's perceived associations, and that his theory should be evaluated independent of these contexts. Other notable scientists such as Isaac Newton were also interested in mysticism, and supporters of Heim contend that this association does not and should not necessarily tarnish the mathematical theory.

Related Topics:
Isaac Newton - Mysticism

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the context and times in which Heim worked during the 1950s and 1960s, the pressure in academia to publish papers for recognition (such as tenure or job security) was considerably less than that of today. As Heim chose to work outside of the university environment and in isolation, he was not exposed to such pressures and minimized his risk of printing premature publications.

Related Topics:
1950 - 1960 - Academia - University - Risk

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a comparison, it is noteworthy to consider that Einstein went through a long period of 'incubation' before producing his revolutionary relativity theory. Heim's incubation period was approximately ten times longer. There are also similarities between Heim and Newton—the latter waited 20 years before going into print with the results of his year of wonders, during which interval many of his contemporaries dismissed him as an "alchemical dabbler". Also, due to staring at the sun Newton was nearly blind for a long time. Although these observations are largely coincidental, it should be noted that Heim indeed overcame substantial limitations to actually publish his works.

Related Topics:
Einstein - Revolutionary - Relativity - Newton

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~