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Boltzmann’s Philosophy of Materialism and ʻAbdu’l-Bahá
Both born in the year 1844, they both espoused philosophical views with surprising similarities.
The 19th century physicist Ludwig Boltzmann has often been considered a sort of “hero of scientific materialism”, such that many Marxists such as Lenin held him in high regard for what they saw as his theoretical support of materialistic philosophies. He has been described as a ‘materialist’ due to his atomistic views, rejection of idealism and his wholehearted acceptance of evolution. Thus, it might seem strange at first to notice some commonalities between the views of his contemporary, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá the son of Baha’u’llah, the prophet founder of the Baha’i faith and Boltzmann. Both incidentally were born in 1844 which saw the declaration of the Bab marking the birth of the Baha’i faith. ʻAbdu’l-Bahá was born on the very night of that declaration and Boltzmann several months earlier in February. Also, both seemed to ‘believe’ in the concept of ‘atoms’. But beyond these superficial similarities, there is more in common with their philosophies than is initially apparent.
