Martin Kruskal

Critics, People

Martin David Kruskal (September 28, 1925 – December 26, 2006) was an award-winning American mathematician and physicist at Princeton University. In 1973, his criticism of Ralph Juergens‘s paper, “Reconciling Celestial Mechanics and Velikovskian catastrophism” (Pensée, fall, 1972)^[1]Ralph Juergens, “Reconciling Celestial Mechanics and Velikovskian Catastrophism”, Pensée Vol. 2 No 3: (Fall 1972) “Immanuel Velikovsky Reconsidered II”, also appeared in Pensée. (See also the Electric Sun).

On Juergens’s paper

Kruskal writes:

“This is certainly an imaginative paper and gives evidence of wide-ranging research and extensive thought on important and challenging problems. Nevertheless, I have serious misgivings about the soundness of the arguments and of the author’s competence to tackle such difficult investigations”^[2]”On Celestial Mechanics”, Martin Krustal, Ralph Juergens, C. E. R. Bruce, Eric W. Crew, Pensée Vol. 3 No 1: (Winter 1973) “Immanuel Velikovsky Reconsidered III”

Juergen’s replies:

“I appreciate Professor Kruskal’s willingness to read my paper and submit his criticisms for publication in Pensée. Though I disagree with much of what he has to say” ^[3]Ibid. celestial

Selected bibliography

• “On Celestial Mechanics”, Martin Krustal, Ralph Juergens, C. E. R. Bruce, Eric W. Crew, Pensée Vol. 3 No 1: (Winter 1973) “Immanuel Velikovsky Reconsidered III”
• “On Cosmic Electricity”, Martin Krustal, Ralph Juergens, C. E. R. Bruce, Eric W. Crew, Pensée Vol. 3 No 3: (Fall 1973) “Immanuel Velikovsky Reconsidered V”

External links

• “Martin David Kruskal” at Wikipedia
• “Martin D. Kruskal Dies; Mathematician Was 81” at the New York Times, Published: January 13, 2007
• “Martin Kruskal, pre-eminent mathematician, dies at age 81” at Princeton University, Posted January 4, 2007