Insuperable difficulties: Einstein's statistical road to molecular physics
Abstract In this essay I analyze Einstein's statistical papers from 1902 to 1904. In these papers, Einstein developed the foundations of a theoretical program that he applied to concrete problems in 1905 and in subsequent years. It combined skepticism about classical mechanics, a firm belief in molecules, and absolute confidence in statistical principles. However, Einstein's dissertation does not follow his statistical program. I conjecture that Einstein avoided his own theoretical ideas to win the approval of his Ph.D. advisor, Alfred Kleiner.