"Quantum mechanics was perhaps the single greatest scientific discovery of 20th century physics. But the man who was arguably the greatest physicist of them all - Albert Einstein - struggled with the theory, seeking a more complete explanation of the physical phenomena that scientists were observing. Einstein's reluctance to embrace the quantum ultimately pitted him against another great genius of the era, Niels Bohr, a pragmatist who readily accepted a theory that allowed for unpredictability. Einstein stubbornly insisted on a deeper understanding. This contest of visions ripped through the scientific community, giving rise to one of the most impassioned debates of modern physics." "As the debate crisscrossed Europe, it generated heated discussions and worldwide controversy. With Nobel Prizes awarded to both Einstein and Bohr on the same day, this war of words and ideas continued to play out in lecture halls from Sweden to Japan and beyond. Einstein Defiant is the first book to capture the soul and the science that inspired this dramatic duel, revealing the personalities and the passions - and, in the end, what was at stake for our fundamental understanding of how the world works."--Jacket.