What do you think?
Rate this book
Na Prekretnici Milenija
278 pages, Hardcover
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Ivan Supek
38 books5 followersIvan Supek was a Croatian physicist, philosopher, writer, playwright, peace activist and humanist.
Supek was born on April 8, 1915 in Zagreb, Croatia (still nominally under Austria-Hungary). During his high school days, he organized a local section of the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia at his school, and was a member of the League until the Hitler-Stalin Pact. On one occasion, he secretly smuggled a briefcase to a man in Vienna he later found to be Josip Broz Tito. After finishing grammar school in Zagreb in 1934, he continued pursuing his education in Vienna for a brief period, then moved to Zuerich studying mathematics, physics, biology and philosophy. Increasingly interested in quantum physics and its philosophical consequences, he moved to Leipzig where in 1940 he obtained his PhD in physics under Werner Heisenberg. He worked on problems of superconductivity, but ultimately his doctoral dissertation was on electrical conductivity in metals in low temperatures. In March 1941 he was arrested by the Gestapo for being involved in antifascist activity and held in prison for many months. His professors, Heisenberg, Hund and von Weizsäcker intervened to release him from prison. Immediately after being released, instead of returning to Leipzig, he went back to Independent State of Croatia and joined the communist antifascist movement. He would not return to physics research again, focusing on his philosophical and literary work.
Supek was born on April 8, 1915 in Zagreb, Croatia (still nominally under Austria-Hungary). During his high school days, he organized a local section of the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia at his school, and was a member of the League until the Hitler-Stalin Pact. On one occasion, he secretly smuggled a briefcase to a man in Vienna he later found to be Josip Broz Tito. After finishing grammar school in Zagreb in 1934, he continued pursuing his education in Vienna for a brief period, then moved to Zuerich studying mathematics, physics, biology and philosophy. Increasingly interested in quantum physics and its philosophical consequences, he moved to Leipzig where in 1940 he obtained his PhD in physics under Werner Heisenberg. He worked on problems of superconductivity, but ultimately his doctoral dissertation was on electrical conductivity in metals in low temperatures. In March 1941 he was arrested by the Gestapo for being involved in antifascist activity and held in prison for many months. His professors, Heisenberg, Hund and von Weizsäcker intervened to release him from prison. Immediately after being released, instead of returning to Leipzig, he went back to Independent State of Croatia and joined the communist antifascist movement. He would not return to physics research again, focusing on his philosophical and literary work.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 29, 2025
Definitivno jedna od najboljih knjiga koje sam pročitala. Supek, jedan od najvećih intelktualaca u regiji, istinski je promotor humanizma i univerzalnih ljudskih vrijednosti. Ne samo da nam Supek kroz svoje eseje i spise u ovoj knjizi predočava razvoj fizike i filozofije od Platona i Aristotela na ovamo, daje nam u zadnjim poglavljima i odgovor na pitanje 'kako biti dobar?'. Svjetski naučnik, u društvu najvećih umova XX stoljeća, pokušao je doprinijeti globalnom miru u vrijeme nuklearnog naoružanja i utrke, čineći nas ponosnim jer je sa ovih prostora. Uz sve to, Supekovo djelo dobar je pregled institucionalizacije nauke i sveučilišta u Hrvatskoj.
Displaying 1 of 1 review