Nikolai Eberhardt
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Eberhardt is a German
émigré
physicist
, author
of From the Big Bang to the Human Predicament (1998) and of The final Paradigm: Tragedy, Religion, Knowledge and Folly in Our Neuro-Mechanical Life (2008). In the Final Paradigm he explores the value of religion in a purely mechanistic world- and self-view. In the spirit of Julien Offray de La Mettrie
(1709–1751) he derives understanding of humanity, including culture and religion, not from the evolution
ary approach — which he does not oppose, but transcends — but from considering humans as self reproducing
, intelligent
bio-mechanical
robot
s, or biobot
s.
Eberhardt, born 1930 in Estonia
, has German, Swedish and Russian ancestry. He studied philosophy in Graz
, Austria
and physics in Munich
, gaining a Physics Diploma in 1957, and a Doctor of Science
degree (Dr. rer. nat.) in 1962 from the Institute of Technology in Munich
. He served as Professor of Electrical Engineering at Lehigh University
(Emeritus from 1995). Intermittently he also served as Adjunct Professor in the Science, Technology and Society program. Besides numerous publications, he has multiple patent
s to his credit in the areas of color-television tubes, microwave devices, robotics and instrumentation. He was Digest Editor of the 1976 IEEE International Microwave Symposium.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of From the Big Bang to the Human Predicament (1998) and of The final Paradigm: Tragedy, Religion, Knowledge and Folly in Our Neuro-Mechanical Life (2008). In the Final Paradigm he explores the value of religion in a purely mechanistic world- and self-view. In the spirit of Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie was a French physician and philosopher, and one of the earliest of the French materialists of the Enlightenment...
(1709–1751) he derives understanding of humanity, including culture and religion, not from the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary approach — which he does not oppose, but transcends — but from considering humans as self reproducing
Self-replication
Self-replication is any behavior of a dynamical system that yields construction of an identical copy of that dynamical system. Biological cells, given suitable environments, reproduce by cell division. During cell division, DNA is replicated and can be transmitted to offspring during reproduction...
, intelligent
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
bio-mechanical
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, or biobot
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
s.
Eberhardt, born 1930 in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, has German, Swedish and Russian ancestry. He studied philosophy in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and physics in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, gaining a Physics Diploma in 1957, and a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
degree (Dr. rer. nat.) in 1962 from the Institute of Technology in Munich
Technical University of Munich
The Technische Universität München is a research university with campuses in Munich, Garching, and Weihenstephan...
. He served as Professor of Electrical Engineering at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
(Emeritus from 1995). Intermittently he also served as Adjunct Professor in the Science, Technology and Society program. Besides numerous publications, he has multiple patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s to his credit in the areas of color-television tubes, microwave devices, robotics and instrumentation. He was Digest Editor of the 1976 IEEE International Microwave Symposium.