Boltzmann: the genius of disorder

The tragedy and greatness of the contribution of Ludwig Boltzmann cannot be understood without taking into account the relevant scientific developments that took place in the nineteenth century, one of the most eventful periods in the history of science. The kinetic theory opened a new theoretical perspective in understanding natural phenomena. The introduction of new categories of order and disorder changed radically the point of view of those physicists that accepted Boltzmann’s thesis and led, at the same time, to strong opposition to the Viennese Scientist. In this paper, we present the academic situation, scientific theories, and disputes involving the Boltzmann’s theories. A short introduction on the birth of the atomistic theories opens the article, while a view on the evolution of the concept of temperature and the definition of its unit quantity closes it.