Albert Einstein

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A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving... Albert Einstein (14 arch 1!"# $ 1! April 1#%%& 'as a (erman)American physicist. *e is best) +no'n for his ,pecial and (eneral -heories of .elativity, but contributed in other areas of physics. *e became famous for his explanation of the photoelectric effect (for 'hich he received the /obel 0ri1e&. As a Je'ish scientist he had to flee from /a1i (ermany, but it should be noted that he did not believe in traditional notions of a personal god, but rather perceived (od to be a 2superpersonal2 entity, in 'ays that he declared to be inspired by 3aruch ,pino1a4s and Arthur ,chopenhauer4s ideas. *e also asserted that the Je'ish scriptures, Jesus, (autama 3uddha and other religious figures 'ere important guides for the ethical advancement of humanity.

A happy man is too satisfied 'ith the present to d'ell too much on the future.

Contents
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1 ,ourced o 1.1 0rinciples of .esearch (1#1!&

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

1.7 8ierec+ intervie' (1#7#& 1.9 :isehart intervie' (1#9;<& 1.4 .eligion and ,cience (1#9;& 1.% 1.= ein :eltbild (1#91& y >redo (1#97&

1." ?bituary for @mmy /oether (1#9%& 1.! ,cience and .eligion (1#41& 1.# ?nly -hen ,hall :e Aind >ourage (1#4=& 1.1; .eligion and ,cience: Irreconcilable< (1#4!& 1.11 -he :orld As I ,ee It (1#4#& 1.17 2:hy ,ocialism<2 (1#4#& 1.19 ?n the (enerali1ed -heory of (ravitation (1#%;& 1.14 ?ut of y Bater Cears (1#%;&

1.1% Albert @instein: -he *uman ,ide (1#%4& 1.1= ,idelights on .elativity (1#!9& 1.1" @instein4s (od (1##"&

7 Disputed 9 isattributed

4 Euotes about @instein % @xternal lin+s

[edit] Sourced

ass and energy are both but different manifestations of the same thing F a some'hat unfamiliar conception for the average mind.

>oncepts that have proven useful in ordering things easily achieve such authority over us that 'e forget their earthly origins and accept them as unalterable givens. A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future. o 2 y Auture 0lans2 an essay 'ritten at age 1" for school exam (1! ,eptember 1!#=& The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein 8ol. 1 (1#!"& Doc. 77

mc!
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-he eGuivalence of matter and energy 'as originally expressed by the eGuation m "#c!, 'hich easily translates into the far more 'ell +no'n E mc! in Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content? published in the Annalen der Physik (7" ,eptember 1#;%& : 2If a body gives off the energy B in the form of radiation, its mass diminishes by BHcI.2 In a later statement explaining the ideas expressed by this eGuation, @instein summari1ed: $%t followed from the special theory of relati&ity that mass and ener'y are both but different manifestations of the same thin' ( a somewhat unfamiliar conception for the a&era'e mind. Furthermore) the equation E mc!) in which ener'y is put equal to mass) multiplied by the square of the &elocity of li'ht) showed that &ery small amounts of mass may be con&erted into a &ery lar'e amount of ener'y and &ice &ersa. -he mass and energy 'ere in fact eGuivalent, according to the formula mentioned before. -his 'as demonstrated by >oc+croft and :alton in 1#97, experimentally.2

Atomic Physics (1#4!& by the J. Arthur .an+ ?rganisation, Btd. (mp9 audio file of @instein4s voice&

We shall therefore assume the complete physical equi&alence of a 'ra&itational field and a correspondin' acceleration of the reference system.
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,tatement of the eGuivalence principle in Yearbook of adioacti!ity and Electronics (1#;"&

It is by no means an idle game if 'e become practiced in analy1ing long)held commonplace concepts and sho'ing the circumstances on 'hich their Justification and usefulness depend... *ow does it happen that a properly endowed natural scientist comes to concern himself with epistemolo'y+ Is there not some more valuable 'or+ to be done in his specialty< -hat4s 'hat I hear many of my colleagues as+, and I sense it from many more. 3ut I cannot share this sentiment. :hen I thin+ about the ablest students 'hom I have encountered in my teaching F that is, those 'ho distinguish themselves by their independence of Judgment and not Just their Guic+)'ittedness F I can affirm that they had a vigorous interest in epistemology. -hey happily began discussions about the goals and methods of science, and they sho'ed uneGuivocally, through tenacious defense of their vie's, that the subJect seemed important to them . Concepts that ha&e pro&en useful in orderin' thin's easily achie&e such authority o&er us that we for'et their earthly ori'ins and accept them as unalterable 'i&ens. -hus they might come to be stamped as 2necessities of thought,2 2a priori givens,2 etc. -he path of scientific progress is often made impassable for a long time by such errors. ,herefore it is by no means an idle 'ame if we become practiced in analysin' lon'held commonplace concepts and showin' the circumstances on which their .ustification and usefulness depend) and how they ha&e 'rown up) indi&idually) out of the 'i&ens of e/perience. ,hus their e/cessi&e authority will be broken. -hey 'ill be removed if they cannot be properly legitimated, corrected if their correlation 'ith given things be far too superfluous, or replaced if a ne' system can be established that 'e prefer for 'hatever reason. o ?bituary for physicist and philosopher @rnst ach, Physikalische "eitschrift 1" (1#1=&

% am by herita'e a 0ew) by citi1enship a Swiss) and by makeup a human bein') and only a human bein') without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoe&er.

Better to Alfred Kneser (" June 1#1!&L Doc. %=; in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein 8ol. !

I have also considered many scientific plans during my pushing you around in your pramM
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Better to his son *ans Albert @instein (June 1#1!&

a+e a lot of 'al+s to get healthy and donNt read that much but save yourself some until youNre gro'n up.
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Better to his son @duard @instein (June 1#1!&

Dear motherM -oday a Joyful notice. *. A. Borent1 has telegraphed me that the @nglish expeditions have really proven the deflection of light at the sun.
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0ostcard to his mother 0auline @instein (1#1#&

#o$ m%ch do I lo!e that noble man &ore than I co%ld tell $ith $ords''' #o$ m%ch do I lo!e that noble man &ore than I co%ld tell $ith $ords I fear tho%gh he(ll remain alone )ith a holy halo of his o$n' o 0oem by @instein on ,pino1a (1#7;&, as Guoted in Einstein and eligion (1###& by ax Jammer 2@instein4s 0oem on ,pino1a2 ('ith scans of original (erman manuscript& at Beiden Institute of 0hysics, Beiden Oniversity

:e may assume the existence of an aetherL only 'e must give up ascribing a definite state of motion to it, i.e. 'e must by abstraction ta+e from it the last mechanical characteristic 'hich Borent1 had still left it.
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?n the irrelevance of the luminiferous aether hypothesis to physical measurements, in an address at the Oniversity of Beiden ( ay %, 1#7;&

:hat lead me more or less directly to the special theory of relativity 'as the conviction that the electromotive force acting on a body in motion in a magnetic field 'as nothing else but an electric field.

Better to the ichelson >ommemorative eeting of the >leveland 0hysics ,ociety as Guoted by ..,.,han+land, Am J 0hys 97, 1= (1#=4&, p9%, republished in A 0 Arench, *pecial elati!ity, I,3/ ;1"""1;"%=

affiniert ist der #errgott+ aber boshaft ist er nicht'

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Subtle is the "ord) but malicious *e is not. .emar+ made during @instein4s first visit to 0rinceton Oniversity. (April 1#71& as Guoted in Einstein (1#"9& by ..:. >lar+, >h. 14. 2(od is slic+, but he ainNt mean2 is a variant translation of this (1#4=& Onsourced variant: 2(od is subtle but he is not malicious.2 :hen as+ed 'hat he meant by this he replied. 2/ature hides her secret because of her essential loftiness, but not by means of ruse.2 (Die ,at%r !erbirgt ihr -eheimnis d%rch die Erhabenheit ihres )esens+ aber nicht d%rch .ist'& As Guoted in *%btle is the .ord / The *cience and the .ife of Albert Einstein (1#!7& by Abraham 0ais einsteinandreligion.com

?riginally said to 0rinceton Oniversity mathematics professor ?scar 8eblen, ay 1#71, 'hile @instein 'as in 0rinceton for a series of lectures, upon hearing that an experimental result by Dayton >. iller of >leveland, if true, 'ould contradict his theory of gravitation. 3ut the result turned out to be false. ,ome say by this remar+ @instein meant that /ature hides her secrets by being subtle, 'hile others say he meant that nature is mischievous but not bent on tric+ery. 5-he Cale 3oo+ of Euotations by Ared .. ,hapiro, 7;;=6

% ha&e second thou'hts. 2aybe 3od is malicious.

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Euoted in Jamie ,ayen, Einstein in America (1#!%&. ,aid to 8ladimir 3argmann, 'ith the meaning that (od leads people to believe they understand things that they actually are far from understanding. 5-he Cale 3oo+ of Euotations by Ared .. ,hapiro, 7;;=6

Euantum mechanics is certainly imposing. 3ut an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. -he theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the 4old one4. %) at any rate) am con&inced that He does not throw dice.
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Better to ax 3orn (4 December 1#7=&L The Born0Einstein .etters (translated by Irene 3orn& (:al+er and >ompany, /e' Cor+, 1#"1& I,3/ ;)!;7");97=)". -his Guote is commonly paraphrased $3od does not play dice$ or $3od does not play dice with the uni&erse$, and other slight variants.

Whether you can obser&e a thin' or not depends on the theory which you use. %t is the theory which decides what can be obser&ed.

?bJecting to the placing of observables at the heart of the ne' Guantum mechanics, during *eisenberg4s 1#7= lecture at 3erlinL related by *eisenberg, Guoted in Unification of 1%ndamental 1orces (1##;& by Abdus ,alam I,3/
;%719"14;=

-he theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the 4old one4. I, at any rate, am convinced that #e does not thro' dice. 3y an application of the theory of relativity to the taste of readers, today in (ermany I am called a (erman man of science, and in @ngland I am represented as a ,'iss Je'. If I come to be represented as a bPte noire, the descriptions 'ill be reversed, and I shall become a ,'iss Je' for the (ermans and a (erman man of science for the @nglishM (-o The Times (Bondon&, /ovember 7!, 1#1#, Guoted in The ,e$ 2%otable Einstein by Alice >alaprice, 7;;%, I,3/ ;)=#1)17;"%)"& o 8ariant: If my theory of relativity is proven successful, (ermany 'ill claim me as a (erman and Arance 'ill declare that I am a citi1en of the 'orld. ,hould my theory prove untrue, Arance 'ill say that I am a (erman and (ermany 'ill declare that I am a Je'. (Address to the Arench 0hilosophical ,ociety at the ,orbonne (= April 1#77&L Arench press clipping (" April 1#77& 5@instein Archive 9=)9"!6 and Berliner Tageblatt (! April 1#77& 5@instein Archive "#)%9%6&
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8ariant translation: If my theory of relativity is proven correct, (ermany 'ill claim me as a (erman and Arance 'ill say I am a man of the 'orld. If it4s proven 'rong, Arance 'ill say I am a (erman and (ermany 'ill say I am a Je'. 8ariant: If relativity is proved right the (ermans 'ill call me a (erman, the ,'iss 'ill call me a ,'iss citi1en, and the Arench 'ill call me a great scientist. If relativity is proved 'rong the Arench 'ill call me a ,'iss, the ,'iss 'ill call me a (erman and the (ermans 'ill call me a Je'.

I am a Je' and glad to belong to the Je'ish people

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Better, 1#7;, to the >entral Association of (erman >iti1ens of the Je'ish Aaith Euoted in Einstein on Politics, ed. David .o'e Q .obert ,chulmann, I,3/ #"!;=#117;#47

I believe in ,pino1a4s (od, :ho reveals *imself in the la'ful harmony of the 'orld, not in a (od :ho concerns *imself 'ith the fate and the doings of man+ind. % belie&e in Spino1a4s 3od) Who re&eals *imself in the lawful harmony of the world) not in a 3od Who concerns *imself with the fate and the doin's of mankind. o In response the telegrammed Guestion of /e' Cor+4s .abbi *erbert ,. (oldstein in (74 April 1#7#&: 2Do you believe in (od< ,top. Ans'er paid %; 'ords.2 @instein replied in only 7% ((erman& 'ords. ,pino1a4s ideas of (od are often characteri1ed as being pantheistic.
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@xpanding on this he later 'rote: 2I can understand your aversion to the use of the term 4religion4 to describe an emotional and psychological attitude 'hich sho's itself most clearly in ,pino1a... I have not found a better expression than 4religious4 for the trust in the rational nature of reality that is, at least to a certain extent, accessible to human reason.2

As Guoted in Einstein 3 *cience and eligion by Arnold 8. Besi+ar

%f % were not a physicist) % would probably be a musician. % often think in music. % li&e my daydreams in music. % see my life in terms of music... % do know that % 'et most .oy in life out of my &iolin.
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As Guoted in 2:hat Bife eans to @instein : An Intervie' by (eorge ,ylvester 8ierec+2 in The *at%rday E!ening Post 8ol. 7;7 (7= ?ctober 1#7#&, p. 119 , also in -limpses of the -reat (1#9;& by (eorge ,ylvester 8ierec+

% am enou'h of an artist to draw freely upon my ima'ination. %ma'ination is more important than knowled'e. 5nowled'e is limited. %ma'ination encircles the world.
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As Guoted in 2:hat Bife eans to @instein : An Intervie' by (eorge ,ylvester 8ierec+2 in The *at%rday E!ening Post 8ol. 7;7 (7= ?ctober 1#7#&, p. 11"

I am enough of an artist to dra' freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than +no'ledge. Kno'ledge is limited. Imagination encircles the 'orld.

%4m not an atheist and % don4t think % can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child enterin' a hu'e library filled with books in many different lan'ua'es. ,he child knows someone must ha&e written those books. %t does not know how. ,he child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arran'ement of the books but doesn4t know what it is. ,hat) it seems to me) is the attitude of e&en the most intelli'ent human bein' toward 3od. :e see a universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain la's, but only dimly understand these la's. ?ur limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations. I am fascinated by ,pino1a4s pantheism, but admire even more his contributions to modern thought because he is the first philosopher to deal 'ith the soul and the body as one, not t'o separate things. o As Guoted in -limpses of the -reat (1#9;& by (. ,. 8ierec+ -here have been disputes on the acc%racy of this Guotation. Bife is li+e riding a bicycle. -o +eep your balance you must +eep moving.
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Better to his son @duard (% Aebruary 1#9;&

,o punish me for my contempt of authority) Fate has made me an authority myself.

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Aphorism for a friend (1! ,eptember 1#9;& 5@instein Archive 9=)%#!6L as Guoted in Albert Einstein3 Creator and ebel (1#!!& by 3anesh *offman

I never thin+ of the future. It comes soon enough.

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>omment during an intervie'. Belgenland (December 1#9;&.

It is my vie' that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament 'ould most beneficially influence the lot of man+ind.
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Better to 4egetarian )atch0To$er (7" December 1#9;&

I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am 'illing to fight for peace. /othing 'ill end 'ar unless the people themselves refuse to go to 'ar.
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Intervie' 'ith (eorge ,ylvester 8ierec+ (January 1#91&

% belie&e in intuition and inspiration. %ma'ination is more important than knowled'e. For knowled'e is limited) whereas ima'ination embraces the entire world) stimulatin' pro'ress) 'i&in' birth to e&olution. %t is) strictly speakin') a real factor in scientific research.
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Cosmic eligion 3 )ith 5ther 5pinions and Aphorisms (1#91& by Albert @instein, p. #"L also in Transformation 3 Arts+ Comm%nication+ En!ironment (1#%;& by *arry *olt1man, p. 19!

Aor any one 'ho is pervaded 'ith the sense of causal la' in all that happens, 'ho accepts in real earnest the assumption of causality, the idea of a 3eing 'ho interferes 'ith the

seGuence of events in the 'orld is absolutely impossible. /either the religion of fear nor the social)moral religion can have any hold on him.
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As Guoted in #as *cience Disco!ered -od? 3 A *ymposi%m of &odern *cientific 5pinion (1#91& by @d'ard *o'e >otton, p. 1;1

3y the 'ay, there are increasing signs that the .ussian trials are not fa+ed, but that there is a plot among those 'ho loo+ upon ,talin as a stupid reactionary 'ho has betrayed the ideas of the revolution. -hough 'e find it difficult to imagine this +ind of internal thing, those 'ho +no' .ussia best are all more or less of the same opinion. I 'as firmly convinced to begin 'ith that it 'as a case of a dictator4s despotic acts, based on lies and deception, but this 'as a delusion.
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Better to ax 3orn (no date, 1#9" or 1#9!&L The Born0Einstein .etters (translated by Irene 3orn& (:al+er and >ompany, /e' Cor+, 1#"1& I,3/ ;)!;7");97=)". 3orn commented: 2-he .ussian trials 'ere ,talin4s purges, 'ith 'hich he attempted to consolidate his po'er. Bi+e most people in the :est, I believed these sho' trials to be the arbitrary acts of a cruel dictator. @instein 'as apparently of a different opinion: he believed that 'hen threatened by *itler the .ussians had no choice but to destroy as many of their enemies 'ithin their o'n camp as possible. I find it hard to reconcile this point of vie' 'ith @instein4s gentle, humanitarian disposition.2

Aalling in love is not at all the most stupid thing that people do F but gravitation cannot be held responsible for it. As an eminent pioneer in the realm of high freGuency currents... I congratulate you on the great successes of your life4s 'or+. o @instein4s letter to /i+ola -esla for -esla4s "%th birthday (1#91&

Fallin' in lo&e is not at all the most stupid thin' that people do ( but 'ra&itation cannot be held responsible for it.
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Jotted (in (erman& on the margins of a letter to him (1#99&. As Guoted in Albert Einstein+ The #%man *ide 3 ,e$ -limpses 1rom #is Archi!es (1#!1& I,3/
;=#1;79=!#

Onsourced variants: (ravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. H Cou can4t blame gravity for falling in love.

I am the one to 'hom you 'rote in care of the 3elgian Academy... .ead no ne'spapers, try to find a fe' friends 'ho thin+ as you do, read the 'onderful 'riters of earlier times, Kant, (oethe, Bessing, and the classics of other lands, and enJoy the natural beauties of unich4s surroundings. a+e believe all the time that you are living, so to spea+, on ars among alien creatures and blot out any deeper interest in the actions of those creatures. a+e friends 'ith a fe' animals. -hen you 'ill become a cheerful man once more and nothing 'ill be able to trouble you. 3ear in mind that those 'ho are finer and nobler are al'ays alone F and necessarily so F and that because of this they can enJoy the purity of their o'n atmosphere. I sha+e your hand in heartfelt comradeship, @.
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.esponse to a letter from an unemployed professional musician (% April 1#99& as Guoted in Albert Einstein3 The #%man *ide (1#!1& edited by *elen Du+as and 3anesh *offman I,3/ ;=#1;79=!# -he editors precede this passage thus, 2@arly in 1#99, @instein received a letter from a professional musician 'ho presumably lived in unich. -he musician 'as evidently troubled and despondent, and out of a Job, yet at the same time, he must have been something of a +indred spirit. *is letter is lost, all that survives being @instein4s reply..../ote the careful anonymity of the first sentence F the recipient 'ould be safer that 'ay:2 Albert Einstein3 The #%man *ide concludes 'ith this passage, follo'ed by the original passages in (erman.

It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to ma+e the irreducible basic elements as simple and as fe' as possible 'ithout having to surrender the adeGuate representation of a single datum of experience. %t can scarcely be denied that the supreme 'oal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without ha&in' to surrender the adequate representation of a sin'le datum of e/perience. o 2?n the ethod of -heoretical 0hysics2 -he *erbert ,pencer Becture, delivered at ?xford (1; June 1#99&L also published in Philosophy of *cience, 8ol. 1, /o. 7 (April 1#94&, pp. 1=9)1=#. 5than+s to Dr. -echie R '''.'ordorigins.org and J,-?.6
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8ariants: @verything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler. a+e things as simple as possible, but not simpler.

-his is very similar to 2?ccam4s .a1or2, 'ith the addition that it 'arns about too much simplicity. Dubbed 44Einstein(s ra6or, it is used 'hen an appeal to ?ccam4s ra1or results in an over)simplified explanation insufficient to meet needs or goals. It is also similar to one expression of 'hat has become +no'n as the 2KI,, principle2: Keep It Simple+ St%pid / b%t ne!er o!ersimplify'

-here is not the slightest indication that 5nuclear energy6 'ill ever be obtainable. It 'ould mean that the atom 'ould have to be shattered at 'ill.
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2Atom @nergy *ope is ,pi+ed 3y @instein H @fforts at Boosing 8ast Aorce is >alled Aruitless,2 Pittsb%rgh Post0-a6ette (7# December 1#94& It 'as follo'ing the brea+throughs by @nrico Aermi and others did the use of nuclear po'er become plausible.

It has often been said, and certainly not 'ithout Justification, that the man of science is a poor philosopher. :hy then should it not be the right thing for the physicist to let the philosopher do the philosophi1ing< ,uch might indeed be the right thing to do a time 'hen the physicist believes he has at his disposal a rigid system of fundamental la's 'hich are so 'ell established that 'aves of doubt can4t reach themL but it cannot be right at a time 'hen the very foundations of physics itself have become problematic as they are no'. At a time li+e the present, 'hen experience forces us to see+ a ne'er and more solid foundation, the physicist cannot simply surrender to the philosopher the critical contemplation of theoretical foundationsL for he himself +no's best and feels more surely 'here the shoe pinches. In loo+ing for an ne' foundation, he must try to ma+e clear in his o'n mind Just ho' far the concepts 'hich he uses are Justified, and are necessities.
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20hysics and .eality2 in the 7o%rnal of the 1ranklin Instit%te 8ol. 771, Issue 9 ( arch 1#9=&

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree... ,he most incomprehensible thin' about the world is that it is comprehensible. o 20hysics and .eality2 in 7o%rnal of the 1ranklin Instit%te ( arch 1#9=& as Guoted in Einstein3 A Biography (1#%4& by Antonina 8allentin, p. 74. Variants:
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-he eternal mystery of the 'orld is its comprehensibilityS -he fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle. 6ne may say $the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.$

5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%=& this rendition reads as if he is Guoting or paraphrasing the statement of someone else F perhaps Immanuel Kant, 'hom he cites in the next sentence.

6ne may say the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.

As Guoted in Dist%rbing the Uni!erse (1#"#&, by Areeman Dyson >h. %

,he most incomprehensible thin' about the world is that it is at all comprehensible.

As Guoted in *peaking of *cience (7;;;& by

ichael Aripp

*uman +no'ledge and s+ills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life. *umanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of obJective truth. All reli'ions) arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennoblin' man4s life) liftin' it from the sphere of mere physical e/istence and leadin' the indi&idual towards freedom. It is no mere chance that our older universities developed from clerical schools. 3oth churches and universities F insofar as they live up to their true function F serve the ennoblement of the individual. -hey see+ to fulfill this great tas+ by spreading moral and cultural understanding, renouncing the use of brute force. -he essential unity of ecclesiastical and secular institutions 'as lost during the 1#th century, to the point of senseless hostility. Cet there 'as never any doubt as to the striving for culture. /o one doubted the sacredness of the goal. It 'as the approach that 'as disputed. o 2 oral Decay2 (1#9"&L Bater published in 5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;&

6ur time is distin'uished by wonderful achie&ements in the fields of scientific understandin' and the technical application of those insi'hts. Who would not be cheered by this+ 7ut let us not for'et that human knowled'e and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and di'nified life. *umanity has e&ery reason to place the proclaimers of hi'h moral standards and &alues abo&e the disco&erers of ob.ecti&e truth. :hat humanity o'es to personalities li+e 3uddha, oses, and Jesus ran+s for me higher than all the achievements of the enGuiring and constructive mind. What these blessed men ha&e 'i&en us we must 'uard and try to keep ali&e with all

our stren'th if humanity is not to lose its di'nity) the security of its e/istence) and its .oy in li&in'.
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:ritten statement (,eptember 1#9"& as Guoted in Albert Einstein+ The #%man *ide3 ,e$ -limpses 1rom #is Archi!es (1#!1& edited by *elen Du+as and 3anesh *offman I,3/ ;=#1;79=!#

I consider it important, indeed urgently necessary, for intellectual 'or+ers to get together, both to protect their o'n economic status and, also, generally spea+ing, to secure their influence in the political field.
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In a comment explaining 'hy he Joined the American Aederation of -eachers local number %%7 as a charter member (1#9!&

:hat these blessed men have given us 'e must guard and try to +eep alive 'ith all our strength if humanity is not to lose its dignity, the security of its existence, and its Joy in living. 8hysical concepts are free creations of the human mind) and are not) howe&er it may seem) uniquely determined by the e/ternal world. In our endeavor to understand reality 'e are some'hat li+e a man trying to understand the mechanism of a closed 'atch. *e sees the face and the moving hands, even hears its tic+ing, but he has no 'ay of opening the case. If he is ingenious he may form some picture of a mechanism 'hich could be responsible for all the things he observes, but he may never be Guite sure his picture is the only one 'hich could explain his observations. *e will ne&er be able to compare his picture with the real mechanism and he cannot e&en ima'ine the possibility or the meanin' of such a comparison. 3ut he certainly believes that, as his +no'ledge increases, his picture of reality 'ill become simpler and simpler and 'ill explain a 'ider and 'ider range of his sensuous impressions. *e may also belie&e in the e/istence of the ideal limit of knowled'e and that it is approached by the human mind. *e may call this ideal limit the ob.ecti&e truth. o The E!ol%tion of Physics (1#9!& (co)'ritten 'ith Beopold Infeld&

(enerations to come, it may 'ell be, 'ill scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood 'al+ed upon this @arth.
o

,tatement on the occasion of (andhi4s ";th birthday (1#9#& @instein archive 97) =;1, published in 5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;&. AreGuently seen variant: (enerations to come, it may be, 'ill scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood 'al+ed upon this earth.

(reat spirits have al'ays encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds... 3reat spirits ha&e always encountered &iolent opposition from mediocre minds. ,he mediocre mind is incapable of understandin' the man who refuses to bow blindly to con&entional pre.udices and chooses instead to e/press his opinions coura'eously and honestly. o Better to orris .aphael >ohen, professor emeritus of philosophy at the >ollege of the >ity of /e' Cor+, defending the appointment of 3ertrand .ussell to a teaching position ( arch 1#, 1#4;&.
o

8ariant: : (reat spirits have al'ays found violent opposition from mediocrities. -he latter cannot understand it 'hen a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary preJudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence and fulfills the duty to express the results of his thoughts in clear form. athematics. I can assure you mine are still

Do not 'orry about your difficulties in greater.

o

Better to 3arbara Bee :ilson (" January 1#49&, @instein Archives 47)=;=

I fully agree 'ith you about the significance and educational value of methodology as 'ell as history and philosophy of science. So many people today ( and e&en professional scientists ( seem to me like someone who has seen thousands of trees but has ne&er seen a forest. A knowled'e of the historic and philosophical back'round 'i&es that kind of independence from pre.udices of his 'eneration from which most scientists are sufferin'. ,his independence created by philosophical insi'ht is ( in my opinion ( the mark of distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth.
o

Better to .obert A. -horton, 0hysics 0rofessor at Oniversity of 0uerto .ico (" December 1#44& 5@A)="4, @instein Archive, *ebre' Oniversity, Jerusalem6. -horton had 'ritten to @instein on persuading colleagues of the importance of philosophy of science to scientists (empiricists& and science.

% recei&ed your letter of 0une 9:th. % ha&e ne&er talked to a 0esuit priest in my life and % am astonished by the audacity to tell such lies about me. From the &iewpoint of a 0esuit priest % am) of course) and ha&e always been an atheist.
o

Better to (uy *. .aner Jr. (7 July 1#4%&, responding to a rumor that a Jesuit priest had caused @instein to convert to >hristianity, Guoted in an article by ichael .. (ilmore in *keptic maga1ine, 8ol. %, /o. 7, (1##"&

:hen the expected course of everyday life is interrupted, 'e are li+e ship'rec+ed people on a miserable plan+ in the open sea, having forgotten 'here they came from and not +no'ing 'hither they are drifting... For the most part we humans li&e with the false impression of security and a feelin' of bein' at home in a seemin'ly trustworthy physical and human en&ironment. 3ut 'hen the expected course of everyday life is interrupted, 'e are li+e ship'rec+ed people on a miserable plan+ in the open sea, having forgotten 'here they came from and not +no'ing 'hither they are drifting. 3ut once 'e fully accept this, life becomes easier and there is no longer any disappointment. o Better (7= April 1#4%&L as Guoted in Albert Einstein+ The #%man *ide3 ,e$ -limpses 1rom #is Archi!es (1#!1& edited by *elen Du+as and 3anesh *offman
I,3/ ;=#1;79=!#

,he position in which we are now is a &ery stran'e one which in 'eneral political life ne&er happened. ;amely) the thin' that % refer to is this< ,o ha&e security a'ainst atomic bombs and a'ainst the other biolo'ical weapons) we ha&e to pre&ent war) for if we cannot pre&ent war e&ery nation will use e&ery means that is at their disposal= and in spite of all promises they make) they will do it. At the same time, so long as 'ar is not prevented, all the governments of the nations have to prepare for 'ar, and if you have to prepare for 'ar, then you are in a state 'here you cannot abolish 'ar. ,his is really the cornerstone of our situation. ;ow) % belie&e what we should try to brin' about is the 'eneral con&iction that the first thin' you ha&e to abolish is war at all costs) and e&ery other point of &iew must be of secondary importance.
o

Address to the symposium 2-he ,ocial -as+ of the ,cientist in the Atomic @ra2 at the Institute for Advanced ,tudy in 0rinceton, /e' Jersey (1" /ovember 1#4=&

It is a scale of proportions 'hich ma+es the bad difficult and the good easy.

Er ist eine *kala der Proportionen+ die das *chlechte sch$ierig %nd das -%te leicht macht' o %t is a scale of proportions which makes the bad difficult and the 'ood easy.

?n the (olden ratio. Better sent to Be >orbusier (1#4=&L Guoted in &od%lor (1#%9&

I agree 'ith your remar+ about loving your enemy as far as actions are concerned. 3ut for me the cognitive basis is the trust in an unrestricted causality. 4I cannot hate him, because he m%st do 'hat he does.4 -hat means for me more ,pino1a than the prophets.
o

?n the >hristian maxim 2Bove thy enemy2, in a letter to January 1#4!&

ichele 3esso (=

;e&er do anythin' a'ainst conscience e&en if the state demands it.

o

As Guoted by 8irgil *ensha' in Albert Einstein3 Philosopher *cientist (1#4#&

% ha&e repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal 3od is a childlike one. Cou may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist 'hose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. % prefer an attitude of humility correspondin' to the weakness of our intellectual understandin' of nature and of our own bein'.
o

Better to (uy *. .aner Jr. (7! ,eptember 1#4#&, from article by (ilmore in *keptic maga1ine, 8ol. %, /o. 7 (1##"&

ichael ..

,aken on the whole) % would belie&e that 3andhi4s &iews were the most enli'htened of all the political men in our time. :e should strive to do things in his spirit... not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non)participation in 'hat 'e believe is evil.
o

Onited /ations radio intervie' recorded in @instein4s study, 0rinceton, /e' Jersey, (1#%;&

,cientific endeavor is a natural 'hole the parts of 'hich mutually support one another in a 'ay 'hich, to be sure, no one can anticipate. For scientific endea&or is a natural whole the parts of which mutually support one another in a way which) to be sure) no one can anticipate.

?n scientific freedom and holism or holistic science, in 5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;&, p. 17 a collection of @instein4s essays 'hich cover a period of 1#94 to 1#%;.

,he hi'hest principles for our aspirations and .ud'ments are 'i&en to us in the 0ewish-Christian reli'ious tradition. %t is a &ery hi'h 'oal which) with our weak powers) we can reach only &ery inadequately) but which 'i&es a sure foundation to our aspirations and &aluations.
o

?n religion and society, in 5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;&, p. 7".

I live in that solitude 'hich is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
o

5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;&, p.19

E&eryone is aware of the difficult and menacin' situation in which human society -shrunk into one community with a common fate ( now finds itself) but only a few act accordin'ly. ost people go on living their every)day life: half frightened, half indifferent, they behold the ghostly tragi)comedy 'hich is being performed on the international stage before the eyes and ears of the 'orld. 3ut on that stage, on 'hich the actors under the floodlights play their ordained parts, our fate of tomorro', life or death of the nations, is being decided.
o

2-he

enace of

ass Destruction2 in 5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;&

A human bein' is a part of the whole) called by us $>ni&erse$) a part limited in time and space. *e experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest F a +ind of optical delusion of his consciousness. -his delusion is a +ind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a fe' persons nearest to us. ?ur tas+ must be to free ourselves from this prison by 'idening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the 'hole of nature in its beauty. /obody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.
o

Better of 1#%;, as Guoted in The ,e$ York Times (7# arch 1#"7& and The ,e$ York Post (7! /ovember 1#"7&. *o'ever, The ,e$ 2%otable Einstein by Alice >alaprice (0rinceton Oniversity 0ress, 7;;%: I,3/ ;=#117;"4#&, p. 7;=, has a different and presumably more accurate version of this letter, 'hich she dates to Aebruary 17, 1#%; and describes as 2a letter to a distraught father 'ho had lost his young son and had as+ed @instein for some comforting 'ords2:

A human bein' is a part of the whole) called by us $>ni&erse)$ a part limited in time and space. *e experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the restFa +ind of optical delusion of his consciousness. -he striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. /ot to nourish it but to try to overcome it is the 'ay to reach the attainable measure of piece of mind.

I believe that pipe smo+ing contributes to a some'hat calm and obJective Judgment in all human affairs.
o

,tatement upon Joining the

ontreal 0ipe ,mo+ers >lub. (1#%;&

,cience is a 'onderful thing if one does not have to earn one4s living at it.
o

Better to >alifornia student @. *ol1apfel ( arch 1#%1& @instein Archive %#)1;19, Guoted in Albert Einstein+ the #%man *ide (1#"#& by *elen Du+as and 3anesh *offman, and in The ,e$ 2%otable Einstein (7;;%& by Alice >alaprice

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.

o

Better to >arl ,eelig (11

arch 1#%7&, @instein Archives 9#);19

A truly rational theory 'ould allo' us to deduce the elementary particles (electron,etc.& and not be forced to state them a priori.
o

Better to ichele 3esso (1; ,eptember 1#%7&, Better nT1#;, Correspondance+ 89:;089<<, by 0ierre ,pe1iali, ichele Angelo 3esso, published by *ermann, 1#"7.

%t was) of course) a lie what you read about my reli'ious con&ictions) a lie which is bein' systematically repeated. % do not belie&e in a personal 3od and % ha&e ne&er denied this but ha&e e/pressed it clearly. %f somethin' is in me which can be called reli'ious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can re&eal it.
o

Better to an atheist (1#%4& as Guoted in Albert Einstein3 The #%man *ide (1#!1& edited by *elen Du+as and 3anesh *offman I,3/ ;=#1;79=!#

Ae' people are capable of expressing 'ith eGuanimity opinions 'hich differ from the preJudices of their social environment. ost people are even incapable of forming such opinions.

Few people are capable of e/pressin' with equanimity opinions which differ from the pre.udices of their social en&ironment. 2ost people are e&en incapable of formin' such opinions. o Ideas and 5pinions (1#%4& -he idea of achieving security through national armament is, at the present state of military techniGue, a disastrous illusion.
o

Ideas and 5pinions (1#%4&

Development of :estern ,cience is based on t'o great achievements F the invention of the formal logical system (in @uclidean geometry& by the (ree+ philosophers, and the discovery of the possibility to find out causal relationships by systematic experiment (during the .enaissance&. In my opinion, one has not to be astonished that the >hinese sages have not made these steps. -he astonishing thing is that these discoveries 'ere made at all.
o

Euoted in >leopatra4s /ose, @ssays on the Onexpected, Daniel J 3oorstin (1##%&, /e' Cor+: 8intage 3oo+s, p9&.

:or+ing on the final formulation of technological patents 'as a veritable blessing for me. It enforced many)sided thin+ing and also provided important stimuli to physical thought. 5Academia6 places a young person under a +ind of compulsion to produce impressive Guantities of scientific publications F a temptation to superficiality.
o

As Guoted in 2:ho Kne'<2 at /ational(eographic.com ( ay 7;;%&

-he reciprocal relationship of epistemology and science is of note'orthy +ind. -hey are dependent on each other. @pistemology 'ithout contact 'ith science becomes an empty scheme. ,cience 'ithout epistemology is F insofar as it is thin+able at all F primitive and muddled.
o

>ontribution in Albert Einstein3 Philosopher0*cientist, 0.A. ,chilpp, ed. (-he Bibrary of Biving 0hilosophers, @vanston, IB (1#4#&, p. =!4&

% ha&e found no better e/pression than $reli'ious$ for confidence in the rational nature of reality) insofar as it is accessible to human reason. Whene&er this feelin' is absent) science de'enerates into uninspired empiricism.
o

Better to aurice ,olovine, (1 January 1#%1& 5@instein Archive 71)1"46L published in .etters to *olo!ine (1##9&

% belie&e) indeed) that o&eremphasis on the purely intellectual attitude) often directed solely to the practical and factual) in our education) has led directly to the impairment of ethical &alues. I am not thin+ing so much of the dangers 'ith 'hich technical progress has directly confronted man+ind, as of the stifling of mutual human considerations by a 2matter)of)fact2 habit of thought 'hich has come to lie li+e a +illing

frost upon human relations. ... -he frightful dilemma of the political 'orld situation has much to do 'ith this sin of omission on the part of our civili1ation. Without $ethical culture)$ there is no sal&ation for humanity.
o

2-he /eed for @thical >ulture2 celebrating the seventy)fifth anniversary of the @thical >ulture ,ociety (% January 1#%1&.

>ommon sense is nothing more than a deposit of preJudices laid do'n by the mind before you reach eighteen.
o

As Guoted in &athematics+ 2%een and *er!ant of the *ciences (1#%7& by @ric -emple 3ell Onsourced variant : >ommon sense is the collection of preJudices acGuired by age eighteen.

-he 'ord god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human 'ea+nesses, the 3ible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends 'hich are nevertheless pretty childish. /o interpretation no matter ho' subtle can (for me& change this. S Aor me the Je'ish religion li+e all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Je'ish people to 'hom I gladly belong and 'ith 'hose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different Guality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the 'orst cancers by a lac+ of po'er. ?ther'ise I cannot see anything 4chosen4 about them.
o

(ut+ind Better (9 January 1#%4&, 2>hildish superstition: @instein4s letter ma+es vie' of religion relatively clear2, -he (uardian, 19 ay 7;;!.

If I 'ould be a young man again and had to decide ho' to ma+e my living, I 'ould not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I 'ould rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances.
o

Better to the editor of The eporter about the situation of scientists in America (19 ?ctober 1#%4&.

;ow he has departed from this stran'e world a little ahead of me. ,hat means nothin'. 8eople like us) who belie&e in physics) know that the distinction between past) present) and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.
o

Better to the family of his lifelong friend ichele 3esso, after learning of his death, ( arch 1#%%& as Guoted in *cience and the *earch for -od Dist%rbing the Uni!erse (1#"#& by Areeman Dyson >h. 1" 2A Distant irror2 L also Guoted at Einstein(s -od (/0.&

-he important thing is not to stop GuestioningL curiosity has its o'n reason for existing. ,he important thin' is not to stop questionin'= curiosity has its own reason for e/istin'. ?ne cannot help but be in a'e 'hen contemplating the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of the mystery every day. ,he important thin' is not to stop questionin'= ne&er lose a holy curiosity. o ,tatement to :illiam iller, as Guoted in .I1E maga1ine (7 ay 1#%%&

-ry to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.
o

As Guoted by .I1E maga1ine (7

ay 1#%%&

-hat is simple my friend: because politics is more difficult than physics.

o

.esponse to being as+ed 'hy people could discover atomic po'er, but not the means to control it, as Guoted in The ,e$ York Times (77 April 1#%%&

Equations are more important to me) because politics is for the present) but an equation is somethin' for eternity.
o

#elle "eit+ D%nkle "eit3 In &emoriam Albert Einstein (1#%=& edited by >arl ,eelig, p. "1.

:hen a man sits 'ith a pretty girl for an hour, it seems li+e a minute. 3ut let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it4s longer than any hour. -hat4s relativity.
o

An explanation of relativity 'hich he gave to his secretary *elen Du+as to convey to non)scientists and reporters, as Guoted in Best 2%otes of (<=+ (<<+ l<> (1#%"& by James 3. ,impsonL also in E?pandable 2%otable Einstein (7;;%& edited by Alice >alaprice -his 'as also Guoted by ,teve irs+y in *cientific American (,eptember 7;;7&. 8ol. 7!", Iss. 9L pg. 1;7, but 'ithin a satirical piece, 'here the 2original source2 is cited as being a fictitio%s maga1ine:

Ama1ingly, the pretty girlHhot stove Guote is actually the abstract from a short paper 'ritten by @instein that appeared in the no' defunct Journal of @xothermic ,cience and -echnology (0ES,, 8ol. 1, /o. #L 1#9!&.

0araphrased variant: 0ut your hand on a hot stove and it seems li+e an hour. ,it 'ith a pretty girl for an hour and it seems li+e a minute. -hat4s relativity.

:hat is thought to be a 2system2 is after all, Just conventional, and I do not see ho' one is supposed to divide up the 'orld obJectively so that one can ma+e statements about parts. I Just 'ant to explain 'hat I mean 'hen I say that 'e should try to hold on to physical reality. :e are ... all a'are of the situation regarding 'hat 'ill turn out to be the basic foundational concepts in physics: the point)mass or the particle is surely not among themL the field, in the Aaraday) ax'ell sense, might be, but not 'ith certainty. 3ut that 'hich 'e conceive as existing (2real2& should someho' be locali1ed in time and space. -hat is, the real in one part of space, A, should (in theory& someho' 2exist2 independently of that 'hich is thought of as real in another part of space, B. If a physical system stretches over A and B, then 'hat is present in B should someho' have an existence independent of 'hat is present in A. :hat is actually present in B should thus not depend the type of measurement carried out in the part of space AL it should also be independent of 'hether or not a measurement is made in A. If one adheres to this program, then one can hardly vie' the Guantum)theoretical description as a complete representation of the physically real. If one attempts, nevertheless, so to vie' it, then one must assume that the physically real in B undergoes a sudden change because of a measurement in A. y physical instincts bristle at that suggestion. *o'ever, if one renounces the assumption that 'hat is present in different parts of space has an independent, real existence, then I don4t see at all 'hat physics is supposed to be describing. Aor what is thou'ht to be a $system$ is after all) .ust con&entional) and % do not see how one is supposed to di&ide up the world ob.ecti&ely so that one can make statements about parts. o 2:hat must be an essential feature of any future fundamental physics<2 Better to ax 3ornL published in Albert Einstein0#ed$ig %nd &a? Born (1#=#& 23rief'echsel 1#1=)%%2

In vie' of such harmony in the cosmos 'hich I, 'ith my limited human mind, am able to recognise, there are yet people 'ho say there is no (od. 3ut 'hat ma+es me really angry is that they Guote me for support of such vie's.
o

,tatement to (erman anti)/a1i diplomat and author 0rince *ubertus 1u Bo'enstein around 1#41, as Guoted in his boo+ To$ards the 1%rther *hore 3 An A%tobiography (1#=!&

-ry and penetrate 'ith our limited means the secrets of nature and you 'ill find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. ,ry and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that) behind all the discernible concatenations) there remains somethin' subtle) intan'ible and ine/plicable. ?eneration for this force beyond anythin' that we can comprehend is my reli'ion. ,o that e/tent % am) in point of fact) reli'ious. o .esponse to atheist, Alfred Kerr (:inter 1#7"& 'ho after deriding ideas of (od and religion at a dinner party in the home of the publisher ,amuel Aischer, had Gueried him 2I hear that yo% are supposed to be deeply religious2 as Guoted in The Diary of a Cosmopolitan (1#"1& by *. (. Kessler , 1#"1&

-hrough the reading of popular scientific boo+s I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the 3ible could not be true. -he conseGuence 'as a positively fanatic orgy of freethin+ing coupled 'ith the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through liesL it 'as a crushing impression. 2istrust of e&ery kind of authority 'rew out of this e/perience) a skeptical attitude toward the con&ictions that were ali&e in any specific social en&ironment ( an attitude that has ne&er a'ain left me) e&en thou'h) later on) it has been tempered by a better insi'ht into the causal connections.
o

A%tobiographical ,otes (1#"#& @dited by 0aul Arthur ,chilpp

,hen % would ha&e felt sorry for the dear "ord. ,he theory is correct.
o

As Guoted in eality and *cientific Tr%th 3 Disc%ssions $ith Einstein+ !on .a%e+ and Planck (1#!;& by Ilse .osenthal),chneider, p. "4 :hen as+ed by a student 'hat he 'ould have done if ,ir Arthur @ddington4s famous 1#1# gravitational lensing experiment, 'hich confirmed relativity, had instead disproved it.

In the temple of science are many mansions, and various indeed are they that d'ell therein and the motives that have led them thither. ;ature shows us only the tail of the lion. 7ut % do not doubt that the lion belon's to it e&en thou'h he cannot at once re&eal himself because of his enormous si1e. o As Guoted by Abraham 0ais in *%btle is the .ord3The *cience and .ife of Albert Einstein (1#!7& I,3/ ;)1#7)!;="7)=

Deep religiosity... found an abrupt ending at the age of t'elve, through the reading of popular scientific boo+s.
o

As Guoted in Einstein+ #istory+ and 5ther Passions (1##=&, by (erald *olton, p. 1"7

;e&er memori1e what you can look up in books.

o

As Guoted in 2.ecording the @xperience2 (1; June 7;;4& at -he Bibrary of >ongress

% do not know with what weapons World War %%% will be fou'ht) but World War %? will be fou'ht with sticks and stones.
o

Better to *arry ,. -ruman as Guoted in U-he culture of @instein2 by Alex Johnson at ,/3> (1! April 7;;%&

@ven on the most solemn occasions I got a'ay 'ithout 'earing soc+s and hid that lac+ of civilisation in high boots.
o

Albert @instein in a letter to his cousin and second 'ife @lsa, during a visit to the Oniversity of ?xford, in collection donated to the *ebre' Oniversity of Jerusalem in Israel by @instein4s stepdaughter argot. Guoted in 2@instein in no)soc+ shoc+2, ,e$ *cientist (1% July 7;;=&

%t is hi'h time the ideal of success should be replaced with the ideal of ser&ice ... 6nly a life li&ed for others is a life worthwhile.

As Guoted in )isdom for the *o%l 3 1i!e &illennia of Prescriptions for *pirit%al #ealing (7;;=& by Barry >hang, p. 99; Onsourced variant : ?nly a life in the service of others is 'orth living.

[edit] 8rinciples of @esearch A9B9CD

Address at the 0hysical ,ociety, 3erlin, for ax 0lanc+4s =;th birthday

-he state of mind 'hich enables a man to do 'or+ of this +ind is a+in to that of the religious 'orshiper or the loverL the daily effort comes from no deliberate intention or program, but straight from the heart. %n the temple of science are many mansions) and &arious indeed are they that dwell therein and the moti&es that ha&e led them thither. any ta+e to science out of a Joyful sense of superior intellectual po'erL science is their o'n special sport to 'hich they loo+ for vivid experience and the satisfaction of ambitionL many others are to be found in the temple 'ho have offered the products of their brains on this altar for purely utilitarian purposes. Were an an'el of the "ord to come and dri&e all the people belon'in' to these two cate'ories out of the temple) the assembla'e would be seriously depleted) but there would still be some men) of both present and past times) left inside. 6ur 8lanck is one of them) and that is why we lo&e him. I am Guite a'are that 'e have Just no' lightheartedly expelled in imagination many excellent men 'ho are largely, perhaps chiefly, responsible for the buildings of the temple of scienceL and in many cases our angel 'ould find it a pretty tic+lish Job to decide. 3ut of one thing I feel sure: if the types 'e have Just expelled 'ere the only types there 'ere, the temple 'ould never have come to be, any more than a forest can gro' 'hich consists of nothing but creepers. Aor these people any sphere of human activity 'ill do, if it comes to a pointL 'hether they become engineers, officers, tradesmen, or scientists depends on circumstances. /o' let us have another loo+ at those 'ho have found favor 'ith the angel. 2ost of them are somewhat odd) uncommunicati&e) solitary fellows) really less like each other) in spite of these common characteristics) than the hosts of the re.ected. What has brou'ht them to the temple+ ,hat is a difficult question and no sin'le answer will co&er it.

,he state of mind which enables a man to do work of this kind is akin to that of the reli'ious worshiper or the lo&er= the daily effort comes from no deliberate intention or pro'ram) but strai'ht from the heart. 2an tries to make for himself in the fashion that suits him best a simplified and intelli'ible picture of the world= he then tries to some e/tent to substitute this cosmos of his for the world of e/perience) and thus to o&ercome it. ,his is what the painter) the poet) the speculati&e philosopher) and the natural scientist do) each in his own fashion. @ach ma+es this cosmos and its construction the pivot of his emotional life, in order to find in this 'ay the peace and security 'hich he cannot find in the narro' 'hirlpool of personal experience.
o

8ariant translation: ?ne of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life 'ith its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one4s o'n ever)shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the 'orld of obJective perception and thought. :ith this negative motive goes a positive one. 2an seeks to form for himself) in whate&er manner is suitable for him) a simplified and lucid ima'e of the world) and so to o&ercome the world of e/perience by stri&in' to replace it to some e/tent by this ima'e. ,his is what the painter does) and the poet) the speculati&e philosopher) the natural scientist) each in his own way. %nto this ima'e and its formation) he places the center of 'ra&ity of his emotional life) in order to attain the peace and serenity that he cannot find within the narrow confines of swirlin' personal e/perience. As Guoted in The Professor+ the Instit%te+ and D,A (1#"=& by .ene DubosL also in The -reat Infl%en6a (7;;4& by John . 3arry

,he supreme task of the physicist is to arri&e at those uni&ersal elementary laws from which the cosmos can be built up by pure deduction. ,here is no lo'ical path to these laws= only intuition) restin' on sympathetic understandin' of e/perience) can reach them. In this methodological uncertainty, one might suppose that there 'ere any number of possible systems of theoretical physics all eGually 'ell JustifiedL and this opinion is no doubt correct, theoretically. 3ut the development of physics has sho'n that at any given moment, out of all conceivable constructions, a single one has al'ays proved itself decidedly superior to all the rest.

I am a Je', but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the /a1arene.

[edit] ?iereck inter&iew A9BEBD

2:hat Bife eans to @instein: An Intervie' by (eorge ,ylvester 8ierec+2 The *at%rday E!ening Post (7= ?ctober 1#7#& p. 1". As reported in Einstein / A .ife (1##=& by Denis 3rian, 'hen as+ed about a clipping from a maga1ine article reporting his comments on >hristianity as ta+en do'n by 8ierec+, @instein carefully read the clipping and replied, $,hat is what % belie&e.$

As a child) % recei&ed instruction both in the 7ible and in the ,almud. % am a 0ew) but % am enthralled by the luminous fi'ure of the ;a1arene. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, ho'ever artful. /o man can dispose of >hristianity 'ith a bon mot. /o one can read the (ospels 'ithout feeling the actual presence of Jesus. *is personality pulsates in every 'ord. /o myth is filled 'ith such life.

[edit] Wisehart inter&iew A9BF:+D

2uch readin' after a certain a'e di&erts the mind from its creati&e pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into la1y habits of thinkin') Just as the man 'ho spends too much time in the theaters is apt to be content 'ith living vicariously instead of living his o'n life.
. K. :isehart, A Close .ook at the )orld(s -reatest Thinker, American aga1ine, June 1#9;

[edit] @eli'ion and Science A9BF:D

,e$ York Times &aga6ine (/ovember #, 1#9;&

E&erythin' that the human race has done and thou'ht is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assua'ement of pain. ?ne has to +eep this constantly in mind if one 'ishes to understand spiritual movements and their development. Aeeling and longing are the motive force behind all human endeavor and human creation, in ho'ever exalted a guise the latter may present themselves to us. -he desire for guidance, love, and support prompts men to form the social or moral conception of (od. -his is the (od of 0rovidence, 'ho protects, disposes, re'ards, and punishesL the (od 'ho, according to the limits of the believer4s outloo+, loves and cherishes the life of the tribe or of the human race, or even or life itselfL the comforter in sorro' and unsatisfied longingL he 'ho preserves the souls of the dead. -his is the social or moral conception of (od. -he Je'ish scriptures admirably illustrate the development from the religion of fear to moral religion, a development continued in the /e' -estament. -he religions of all civili1ed peoples, especially the peoples of the ?rient, are primarily moral religions. ,he de&elopment from a reli'ion of fear to moral reli'ion is a 'reat step in peoples4 li&es. And yet) that primiti&e reli'ions are based entirely on fear and the reli'ions of ci&ili1ed peoples purely on morality is a pre.udice a'ainst which we must be on our 'uard. ,he truth is that all reli'ions are a &aryin' blend of both types) with this

differentiation< that on the hi'her le&els of social life the reli'ion of morality predominates.
o

8ariant translation: It is easy to follo' in the sacred 'ritings of the Je'ish people the development of the religion of fear into the moral religion, 'hich is carried further in the /e' -estament. -he religions of all civili1ed peoples, especially those of the ?rient, are principally moral religions. An important advance in the life of a people is the transformation of the religion of fear into the moral religion.

>ommon to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of (od. In general, only individuals of exceptional endo'ments, and exceptionally high)minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. 3ut there is a third stage of religious experience 'hich belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. %t is &ery difficult to elucidate this feelin' to anyone who is entirely without it) especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of 3od correspondin' to it. ,he indi&idual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and mar&elous order which re&eal themsel&es both in nature and in the world of thou'ht. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he 'ants to experience the universe as a single significant 'hole. -he beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the 0salms of David and in some of the 0rophets. 3uddhism, as 'e have learned especially from the 'onderful 'ritings of ,chopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this. ,he reli'ious 'eniuses of all a'es ha&e been distin'uished by this kind of reli'ious feelin') which knows no do'ma and no 3od concei&ed in man4s ima'e= so that there can be no church whose central teachin's are based on it. *ence it is precisely amon' the heretics of e&ery a'e that we find men who were filled with this hi'hest kind of reli'ious feelin' and were in many cases re'arded by their contemporaries as atheists) sometimes also as saints. "ooked at in this li'ht) men like Gemocritus) Francis of Assisi) and Spino1a are closely akin to one another.

It is the most important function of art and science to a'a+en this feeling and +eep it alive in those 'ho are receptive to it. *ow can cosmic reli'ious feelin' be communicated from one person to another) if it can 'i&e rise to no definite notion of a 3od and no theolo'y+ %n my &iew) it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feelin' and keep it ali&e in those who are recepti&e to it.

-he man 'ho is thoroughly convinced of the universal operation of the la' of causation cannot for a moment entertain the idea of a being 'ho interferes in the course of events F provided, of course, that he ta+es the hypothesis of causality really seriously. *e has no use for the religion of fear and eGually little for social or moral religion. A (od 'ho re'ards and punishes is inconceivable to him for the simple reason that a man4s actions are determined by necessity, external and internal, so that in (od4s eyes he cannot be responsible, any more than an inanimate obJect is responsible for the motions it undergoes. Science has therefore been char'ed with underminin' morality) but the char'e is un.ust. A man4s ethical beha&ior should be based effectually on sympathy) education) and social ties and needs= no reli'ious basis is necessary. 2an would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hopes of reward after death.
o

8ariant: 2It seems to me that the idea of a personal (od is an anthropological concept 'hich I cannot ta+e seriously. I also cannot imagine some 'ill or goal outside the human sphere2 has been cited as a statement that precedes the last three sentences here, but this might have originated in a paraphrase, a transcription error, or a misGuotationL it does not appear in any editions of the essay 'hich have thus far been chec+ed.

It is therefore easy to see 'hy the churches have al'ays fought science and persecuted its devotees. ?n the other hand, % maintain that the cosmic reli'ious feelin' is the stron'est and noblest moti&e for scientific research. ?nly those 'ho reali1e the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion 'ithout 'hich pioneer 'or+ in theoretical science cannot be achieved are able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of 'hich alone such 'or+, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life, can issue. :hat a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and 'hat a yearning to understand, 'ere it but a feeble reflection of the mind revealed in this 'orld, Kepler and /e'ton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanicsM ,hose whose acquaintance with scientific research is deri&ed chiefly from its practical results easily de&elop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who) surrounded by a skeptical world) ha&e shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide throu'h the world and throu'h the centuries. ?nly one 'ho has devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid reali1ation of 'hat has inspired these men and given them the strength to remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength. A contemporary has said, not unJustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific 'or+ers are the only profoundly religious people.

,chopenhauer4s saying, that 2a man can do as he 'ill, but not 'ill as he 'ill,2 has been an inspiration to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing 'ell)spring of patience in the face of the hardships of life...

[edit] 2ein Weltbild A9BF9D

2 ein :eltbild2 (1#91& 5&y )orld0!ie$, 2 y 8ie' of the :orld26 translated as the title essay 2-he :orld As I ,ee It2 from the boo+ The )orld As I *ee It (1#4#&.6 8arious translated editions have been published of this essayL or portions of it, including one titled 2:hat I 3elieve2L another compilation 'hich includes it is Ideas and 5pinions (1#%4&

*o' strange is the lot of us mortalsM @ach of us is here for a brief soJournL for 'hat purpose he +no's not, though he sometimes thin+s he senses it. 3ut 'ithout deeper reflection one +no's from daily life that one exists for other people F first of all for those upon 'hose smiles and 'ell)being our o'n happiness is 'holly dependent, and then for the many, un+no'n to us, to 'hose destinies 'e are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times e&ery day % remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men) li&in' and dead) and that % must e/ert myself in order to 'i&e in the same measure as % ha&e recei&ed and am still recei&in'... In human freedom in the philosophical sense I am definitely a disbeliever. @verybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance 'ith inner necessity. Schopenhauer4s sayin') that $a man can do as he will) but not will as he will)$ has been an inspiration to me since my youth up) and a continual consolation and unfailin' well-sprin' of patience in the face of the hardships of life) my own and others4. ,his feelin' mercifully miti'ates the sense of responsibility which so easily becomes paraly1in') and it pre&ents us from takin' oursel&es and other people too seriously= it conduces to a &iew of life in which humor) abo&e all) has its due place. % ha&e ne&er looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themsel&es ( this critical basis % call the ideal of a pi'sty. ,he ideals that ha&e li'hted my way) and time after time ha&e 'i&en me new coura'e to face life cheerfully) ha&e been 5indness) 7eauty) and ,ruth. :ithout the sense of +inship 'ith men of li+e mind, 'ithout the occupation 'ith the obJective 'orld, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life 'ould have seemed empty to me. -he trite obJects of human efforts F possessions, out'ard success, luxury F have al'ays seemed to me contemptible.

y passionate sense of social Justice and social responsibility has al'ays contrasted oddly 'ith my pronounced lac+ of need for direct contact 'ith other human beings and human communities.
o

8ariant translation: I have never loo+ed upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves F such an ethical basis I call more proper for a herd of s'ine. -he ideals 'hich have lighted me on my 'ay and time after time given me ne' courage to face life cheerfully, have been -ruth, (oodness, and 3eauty. :ithout the sense of fello'ship 'ith men of li+e mind, of preoccupation 'ith the obJective, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific research, life 'ould have seemed to me empty. -he ordinary obJects of human endeavor F property, out'ard success, luxury F have al'ays seemed to me contemptible.

2y passionate sense of social .ustice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human bein's and human communities. I gang my o'n gait and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, 'ith my 'hole heartL in the face of all these ties I have never lost an obstinate sense of detachment, of the need for solitude F a feeling 'hich increases 'ith the years.
o

8ariant translation: % am truly a 4lone tra&eler4 and ha&e ne&er belon'ed to my country) my home) my friends) or e&en my immediate family) with my whole heart= in the face of all these ties) % ha&e ne&er lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude...

2y political ideal is democracy. "et e&ery man be respected as an indi&idual and no man idoli1ed. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fello')beings, through no fault, and no merit, of my o'n. -he cause of this may 'ell be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the fe' ideas to 'hich I have 'ith my feeble po'ers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am Guite a'are that for any organi1ation to reach its goals, one man must do the thin+ing and directing and generally bear the responsibility. 7ut the led must not be coerced) they must be able to choose their leader.

-he really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the ,tate but the creative, sentient individual, the personality... An autocratic system of coercion) in my opinion) soon de'enerates. For force always attracts men of low morality) and % belie&e it to be an in&ariable rule that tyrants of 'enius are succeeded by scoundrels. Aor this reason I have al'ays been passionately opposed to systems such as 'e see in Italy and .ussia to)day. o 8ariant translation: %n my opinion) an autocratic system of coercion soon de'enerates= force attracts men of low morality...

,he really &aluable thin' in the pa'eant of human life seems to me not the State but the creati&e) sentient indi&idual) the personality= it alone creates the noble and the sublime) while the herd as such remains dull in thou'ht and dull in feelin'. ,his topic brin's me to that worst outcrop of the herd nature) the military system) which % abhor. ,hat a man can take pleasure in marchin' in formation to the strains of a band is enou'h to make me despise him. *e has only been 'i&en his bi' brain by mistake= a backbone was all he needed. ,his pla'ue-spot of ci&ili1ation ou'ht to be abolished with all possible speed. *eroism by order) senseless &iolence) and all the pestilent nonsense that 'oes by the name of patriotism ( how % hate themH War seems to me a mean) contemptible thin'< % would rather be hacked in pieces than take part in such an abominable business. *e who .oyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. *e has been 'i&en a lar'e brain by mistake) since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. ,his dis'race to ci&ilisation should be done away with at once. *eroism at command) senseless brutality) deplorable lo&e-of-country stance) how &iolently % hate all this) how despicable and i'noble war is= % would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an actionH %t is my con&iction that killin' under the cloak of war is nothin' but an act of murder.

-he most beautiful experience 'e can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science... ,he most beautiful e/perience we can ha&e is the mysterious. %t is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoe&er does not know it and can no lon'er wonder) no lon'er mar&el) is as 'ood as dead) and his eyes are dimmed. It 'as the experience of mystery F even if mixed 'ith fear F that engendered religion. A knowled'e of the e/istence of somethin' we cannot penetrate) our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty) which only in their most primiti&e forms are accessible to our minds< it is this knowled'e and this emotion that constitute true reli'iosity. %n this sense) and only this sense) % am a deeply reli'ious man. o 8ariant translations: -he fairest thing 'e can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion 'hich stands at the cradle of true art and true science. *e 'ho +no's it not and can no longer 'onder, no longer feel ama1ement, is as good as dead, a snuffed)out candle. It 'as the experience of mystery F even if mixed 'ith fear F that engendered religion. A +no'ledge of the existence of something 'e cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, 'hich are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms F it is this +no'ledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitudeL in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man.
o

-he finest emotion of 'hich 'e are capable is the mystic emotion. *erein lies the germ of all art and all true science. Anyone to 'hom this feeling is alien, 'ho is no longer capable of 'onderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man. -o +no' that 'hat is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest 'isdom and the most radiant beauty, 'hose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties F this +no'ledge, this feeling ... that is the core of the true religious sentiment. In this sense, and in this sense alone, I ran+ myself among profoundly religious men. -he most beautiful thing 'e can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. *e to 'hom this emotion is a stranger, 'ho can no longer pause to 'onder and stand rapt in a'e, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

As Guoted in Introd%ction to Philosophy (1#9%& by (eorge -homas :hite 0atric+ and Aran+ iller >hapman, p. 44

-he most beautiful emotion 'e can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. *e to

'hom this emotion is a stranger, 'ho can no longer 'onder and stand rapt in a'e, is as good as dead, a snuffed)out candle.
o

*e 'ho can no longer pause to 'onder and stand rapt in a'e, is as good as deadL his eyes are closed.

I cannot conceive of a (od 'ho re'ards and punishes his creatures, or has a 'ill of the type of 'hich 'e are conscious in ourselves. An individual 'ho should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I 'ish it other'iseL such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls.
o

8ariant translation: I cannot imagine a (od 'ho re'ards and punishes the obJects of his creation, 'hose purposes are modeled after our o'n F a (od, in short, 'ho is but a reflection of human frailty. /either can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.

As Guoted in his obituary in The ,e$ York Times (1# April 1#%%&

%t is enou'h for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuatin' itself throu'h all eternity) to reflect upon the mar&elous structure of the uni&erse which we dimly percei&e) and to try humbly to comprehend an infinitesimal part of the intelli'ence manifested in nature.
o

As Guoted in Introd%ction to Philosophy (1#9%& by (eorge -homas :hite 0atric+ and Aran+ iller >hapman, p. 44 8ariant translations: % am satisfied with the mystery of life4s eternity and with a knowled'e) a sense) of the mar&elous structure of e/istence ( as well as the humble attempt to understand e&en a tiny portion of the @eason that manifests itself in nature. @nough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the in+ling of the marvellous structure of reality, together 'ith the single)hearted endeavor to comprehend a portion, be it never so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature.

o o

Although I am a typical loner in daily life, my consciousness of belonging to the invisible community of those 'ho strive for truth, beauty, and Justice has preserved me from feeling isolated.

[edit] 2y Credo A9BFED

,peech to the (erman Beague of *uman .ights, 3erlin (Autumn 1#97&L as published in Einstein3 A .ife in *cience (1##4& by ichael :hite and John (ribbin -his repeats or revises some statements and ideas of &ein )eltbild (1#91&. (Aull text online&

6ur situation on this earth seems stran'e. @very one of us appears here involuntarily and uninvited for a short stay, 'ithout +no'ing the 'hys and the 'herefore. In our daily lives 'e only feel that man is here for the sa+e of others, for those 'hom 'e love and for many other beings 'hose fate is connected 'ith our o'n. % am often worried at the thou'ht that my life is based to such a lar'e e/tent on the work of my fellow human bein's and % am aware of my 'reat indebtedness to them. % do not belie&e in freedom of the will. Schopenhauer4s words< I2an can do what he wants) but he cannot will what he willsJ accompany me in all situations throu'hout my life and reconcile me with the actions of others e&en if they are rather painful to me. ,his awareness of the lack of freedom of will preser&es me from takin' too seriously myself and my fellow men as actin' and decidin' indi&iduals and from losin' my temper. 2y passion for social .ustice has often brou'ht me into conflict with people) as did my a&ersion to any obli'ation and dependence % do not re'ard as absolutely necessary. I al'ays have a high regard for the individual and have an insuperable distaste for violence and clubmanship. All these motives made me into a passionate pacifist and anti)militarist. I am against any nationalism, even in the guise of mere patriotism. 0rivileges based on position and property have al'ays seemed to me unJust and pernicious, as did any exaggerated personality cult. % am an adherent of the ideal of democracy) althou'h % well know the weaknesses of the democratic form of 'o&ernment. ,ocial eGuality and economic protection of the individual appeared to me al'ays as the important communal aims of the state. Althou'h % am a typical loner in daily life) my consciousness of belon'in' to the in&isible community of those who stri&e for truth) beauty) and .ustice has preser&ed me from feelin' isolated.

-o sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp and 'hose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness. ,he most beautiful and deepest e/perience a man can ha&e is the sense of the mysterious. %t is the underlyin' principle of reli'ion as well as all serious endea&or in art and science. *e who ne&er had this e/perience seems to me) if not dead) then at least blind. -o sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp and 'hose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness. In this sense I am religious. -o me it suffices to 'onder at these secrets and to attempt humbly to grasp 'ith my mind a mere image of the lofty structure of all that there is.

[edit] 6bituary for Emmy ;oether A9BFKD

Emmy ,oether, letter to the @ditor of -he /e' Cor+ -imes, published ay %, 1#9% Aull text online

-he efforts of most human)beings are consumed in the struggle for their daily bread, but most of those 'ho are, either through fortune or some special gift, relieved of this struggle are largely absorbed in further improving their 'orldly lot. 7eneath the effort directed toward the accumulation of worldly 'oods lies all too frequently the illusion that this is the most substantial and desirable end to be achie&ed= but there is) fortunately) a minority composed of those who reco'ni1e early in their li&es that the most beautiful and satisfyin' e/periences open to humankind are not deri&ed from the outside) but are bound up with the de&elopment of the indi&idual4s own feelin') thinkin' and actin'. -he genuine artists, investigators and thin+ers have al'ays been persons of this +ind. *o'ever inconspicuously the life of these individuals runs its course, none the less the fruits of their endeavors are the most valuable contributions 'hich one generation can ma+e to its successors. %n the .ud'ment of the most competent li&in' mathematicians) FrLulein ;oether was the most si'nificant creati&e mathematical 'enius thus far produced since the hi'her education of women be'an. 8ure mathematics is) in its way) the poetry of lo'ical ideas. 6ne seeks the most 'eneral ideas of operation which will brin' to'ether in simple) lo'ical and unified form the lar'est possible circle of formal relationships. %n this effort toward lo'ical beauty spiritual formulas are disco&ered necessary for the deeper penetration into the laws of nature.

[edit] Science and @eli'ion A9BM9D

*cience+ Philosophy and eligion+ A *ymposi%m, published by the Conference on *cience+ Philosophy and eligion in Their elation to the Democratic )ay of .ife+ Inc', /e' Cor+ (1#41&L later published in 5%t of &y .ater Years (1#%;& Aull text online

A religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance and loftiness of those superpersonal obJects and goals 'hich neither reGuire nor are capable of rational foundation. -hey exist 'ith the same necessity and matter)of)factness as he himself. %t would not be difficult to come to an a'reement as to what we understand by science. Science is the century-old endea&or to brin' to'ether by means of systematic thou'ht the perceptible phenomena of this world into as thorou'h'oin' an association as possible. -o put it boldly, it is the attempt at the posterior reconstruction of existence by the process of conceptuali1ation. 7ut when askin' myself what reli'ion is % cannot think of the answer so easily. And e&en after findin' an answer which may satisfy me at this particular moment) % still remain con&inced that % can ne&er under any circumstances brin' to'ether) e&en to a sli'ht e/tent) the thou'hts of all those who ha&e 'i&en this question serious consideration.

A person who is reli'iously enli'htened appears to me to be one who has) to the best of his ability) liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thou'hts) feelin's) and aspirations to which he clin's because of their superpersonal &alue. It seems to me that 'hat is important is the force of this superpersonal content and the depth of the conviction concerning its overpo'ering meaningfulness, regardless of 'hether any attempt is made to unite this content 'ith a divine 3eing, for other'ise it 'ould not be possible to count 3uddha and ,pino1a as religious personalities. Accordin'ly) a reli'ious person is de&out in the sense that he has no doubt of the si'nificance and loftiness of those superpersonal ob.ects and 'oals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation. ,hey e/ist with the same necessity and matter-of-factness as he himself. In this sense religion is the age)old endeavor of man+ind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a conflict bet'een them appears impossible. Aor science can only ascertain 'hat is, but not 'hat should be, and outside of its domain value Judgments of all +inds remain necessary.

A conflict arises 'hen a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the 3ible. -his means an intervention on the part of religion into the sphere of scienceL this is 'here the struggle of the >hurch against the doctrines of (alileo and Dar'in belongs. ?n the other hand, representatives of science have often made an attempt to arrive at fundamental Judgments 'ith respect to values and ends on the basis of scientific method, and in this 'ay have set themselves in opposition to religion. -hese conflicts have all sprung from fatal errors.

,cience 'ithout religion is lame, religion 'ithout science is blind. E&en thou'h the realms of reli'ion and science in themsel&es are clearly marked off from each other) ne&ertheless there e/ist between the two stron' reciprocal relationships and dependencies. -hough religion may be that 'hich determines the goal, it has, nevertheless, learned from science, in the broadest sense, 'hat means 'ill contribute to the attainment of the goals it has set up. 3ut science can only be created by those who are thorou'hly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understandin'. ,his source of feelin') howe&er) sprin's from the sphere of reli'ion. ,o this there also belon's the faith in the possibility that the re'ulations &alid for the world of e/istence are rational) that is) comprehensible to reason. % cannot concei&e of a 'enuine scientist without that profound faith. -he situation may be expressed by an image: science without reli'ion is lame) reli'ion without science is blind. -hough I have asserted above that in truth a legitimate conflict bet'een religion and science cannot exist, I must nevertheless Gualify this assertion once again on an essential point, 'ith reference to the actual content of historical religions. -his Gualification has to do 'ith the concept of (od. During the youthful period of man+ind4s spiritual evolution human fantasy created gods in man4s o'n image, 'ho, by the operations of their 'ill 'ere supposed to determine, or at any rate to influence, the phenomenal 'orld. an sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his o'n favor by means of magic and prayer. -he idea of (od in the religions taught at present is a sublimation of that old concept of the gods. Its anthropomorphic character is sho'n, for instance, by the fact that men appeal to the Divine 3eing in prayers and plead for the fulfillment of their 'ishes.

A doctrine 'hich is able to maintain itself not in clear light but only in the dar+, 'ill of necessity lose its effect on man+ind, 'ith incalculable harm to human progress.

;obody) certainly) will deny that the idea of the e/istence of an omnipotent) .ust) and omnibeneficent personal 3od is able to accord man solace) help) and 'uidance= also) by &irtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most unde&eloped mind. 7ut) on the other hand) there are decisi&e weaknesses attached to this idea in itself) which ha&e been painfully felt since the be'innin' of history. -hat is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every human action, every human thought, and every human feeling and aspiration is also *is 'or+L ho' is it possible to thin+ of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty 3eing< In giving out punishment and re'ards *e 'ould to a certain extent be passing Judgment on *imself. *o' can this be combined 'ith the goodness and righteousness ascribed to *im< ,he main source of the present-day conflicts between the spheres of reli'ion and of science lies in this concept of a personal 3od.

,cience not only purifies the religious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious spirituali1ation of our understanding of life. :hen the number of factors coming into play in a phenomenological complex is too large, scientific method in most cases fails us. ?ne need only thin+ of the 'eather, in 'hich case prediction even for a fe' days ahead is impossible. /evertheless no one doubts that 'e are confronted 'ith a causal connection 'hose causal components are in the main +no'n to us. ?ccurrences in this domain are beyond the reach of exact prediction because of the variety of factors in operation, not because of any lac+ of order in nature.

-he more a man is imbued 'ith the ordered regularity of all events the firmer becomes his conviction that there is no room left by the side of this ordered regularity for causes of a different nature. Aor him neither the rule of human nor the rule of divine 'ill exists as an independent cause of natural events. -o be sure, the doctrine of a personal (od interfering 'ith natural events could never be refuted, in the real sense, by science, for this doctrine can al'ays ta+e refuge in those domains in 'hich scientific +no'ledge has not yet been able to set foot. 3ut I am persuaded that such behavior on the part of the representatives of religion 'ould not only be un'orthy but also fatal. Aor a doctrine 'hich is able to maintain itself not in clear light but only in the dar+, 'ill of necessity lose its effect on man+ind, 'ith incalculable harm to human progress. In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal (od, that is, give up that source of fear and hope 'hich in the past placed such vast po'er in the hands of priests. In their labors they 'ill have to avail themselves of those forces 'hich are capable of cultivating the (ood, the -rue, and the 3eautiful in humanity itself. -his is, to be sure, a more difficult but an incomparably more 'orthy tas+.

Science not only purifies the reli'ious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a reli'ious spirituali1ation of our understandin' of life. -he further the spiritual evolution of man+ind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational +no'ledge.

-oday 'e must abandon competition and secure cooperation. -his must be the central fact in all our considerations of international affairsL other'ise 'e face certain disaster.

[edit] 6nly ,hen Shall We Find Coura'e A9BMND

,e$ York Times &aga6ine (79 June 1#4=&

2any persons ha&e inquired concernin' a recent messa'e of mine that $a new type of thinkin' is essential if mankind is to sur&i&e and mo&e to hi'her le&els.$ ?ften in evolutionary processes a species must adapt to ne' conditions in order to survive. -oday the atomic bomb has altered profoundly the nature of the 'orld as 'e +no' it, and the human race conseGuently finds itself in a ne' habitat to 'hich it must adapt its thin+ing. In light of ne' +no'ledgeSan eventual 'orld state is not Just desirable in the name of brotherhood, it is necessary for survival... ,oday we must abandon competition and secure cooperation. ,his must be the central fact in all our considerations of international affairs= otherwise we face certain disaster. 8ast thinkin' and methods did not pre&ent world wars. Future thinkin' must pre&ent wars. As the issues are greater than men ever sought to reali1e before, the recriminations 'ill be fiercer and pride more desperately hurt. It may help to recall that many recogni1ed before the bomb ever fell that the time had already come 'hen 'e must learn to live in ?ne :orld. ,he stakes are immense) the task colossal) the time is short. 7ut we may hope ( we must hope ( that manOs own creation) manOs own 'enius) will not destroy him. Scholars) indeed all men) must mo&e forward in the faith of that philosopher who held that there is no problem the human reason can propound which the human reason cannot reason out.

[edit] @eli'ion and Science< %rreconcilable+ A9BMCD

The Christian egister (June 1#4!&L republished in Ideas and 5pinions (1#%4& Aull text online

Goes there truly e/ist an insuperable contradiction between reli'ion and science+ Can reli'ion be superseded by science+ ,he answers to these questions ha&e) for

centuries) 'i&en rise to considerable dispute and) indeed) bitter fi'htin'. Pet) in my own mind there can be no doubt that in both cases a dispassionate consideration can only lead to a ne'ati&e answer. :hat complicates the solution, ho'ever, is the fact that 'hile most people readily agree on 'hat is meant by 2science,2 they are li+ely to differ on the meaning of 2religion.2

.eligion is concerned 'ith man4s attitude to'ard nature at large, 'ith the establishing of ideals for the individual and communal life, and 'ith mutual human relationship. Science) in the immediate) produces knowled'e and) indirectly) means of action. %t leads to methodical action if definite 'oals are set up in ad&ance. For the function of settin' up 'oals and passin' statements of &alue transcends its domain. :hile it is true that science, to the extent of its grasp of causative connections, may reach important conclusions as to the compatibility and incompatibility of goals and evaluations, the independent and fundamental definitions regarding goals and values remain beyond science4s reach. As regards religion, on the other hand, one is generally agreed that it deals 'ith goals and evaluations and, in general, 'ith the emotional foundation of human thin+ing and acting, as far as these are not predetermined by the inalterable hereditary disposition of the human species. @eli'ion is concerned with man4s attitude toward nature at lar'e) with the establishin' of ideals for the indi&idual and communal life) and with mutual human relationship. -hese ideals religion attempts to attain by exerting an educational influence on tradition and through the development and promulgation of certain easily accessible thoughts and narratives (epics and myths& 'hich are apt to influence evaluation and action along the lines of the accepted ideals.

It is this mythical, or rather this symbolic, content of the religious traditions 'hich is li+ely to come into conflict 'ith science. -his occurs 'henever this religious stoc+ of ideas contains dogmatically fixed statements on subJects 'hich belong in the domain of science. -hus, it is of vital importance for the preservation of true religion that such conflicts be avoided 'hen they arise from subJects 'hich, in fact, are not really essential for the pursuance of the religious aims. -he moral attitudes of a people that is supported by religion need al'ays aim at preserving and promoting the sanity and vitality of the community and its individuals, since other'ise this community is bound to perish. A people that were to honor falsehood) defamation) fraud) and murder would be unable) indeed) to subsist for &ery lon'.

,he 'reat moral teachers of humanity were) in a way) artistic 'eniuses in the art of li&in'. While reli'ion prescribes brotherly lo&e in the relations amon' the indi&iduals and 'roups) the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra. @very'here, in economic as 'ell as in political life, the guiding principle is one of ruthless striving for success at the expense of one4s fello' men. -his competitive spirit prevails even in school and, destroying all feelings of human fraternity and cooperation, conceives of achievement not as derived from the love for productive and thoughtful 'or+, but as springing from personal ambition and fear of reJection. ,here are pessimists who hold that such a state of affairs is necessarily inherent in human nature= it is those who propound such &iews that are the enemies of true reli'ion) for they imply thereby that reli'ious teachin's are >topian ideals and unsuited to afford 'uidance in human affairs. -he study of the social patterns in certain so)called primitive cultures, ho'ever, seems to have made it sufficiently evident that such a defeatist vie' is 'holly un'arranted. :hile it is true that scientific results are entirely independent from religious or moral considerations, those individuals to 'hom 'e o'e the great creative achievements of science 'ere all of them imbued 'ith the truly religious conviction that this universe of ours is something perfect and susceptible to the rational striving for +no'ledge. If this conviction had not been a strongly emotional one and if those searching for +no'ledge had not been inspired by ,pino1a4s Amor Dei Intellect%alis, they 'ould hardly have been capable of that untiring devotion 'hich alone enables man to attain his greatest achievements.

-he man 'ho regards his o'n life and that of his fello' creatures as meaningless is not merely unfortunate but almost disGualified for life.

[edit] The World As I See It A9BMBD

Aor the title essay in this 'or+ see ein :eltbild (1#91& above.

,he 2eanin' of "ife

What is the meanin' of human life) or of or'anic life alto'ether+ ,o answer this question at all implies a reli'ion. Is there any sense then, you as+, in putting it< % answer) the man who re'ards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meanin'less is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for life.

3ood and E&il

The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained to liberation from the self.

Society and 8ersonality

When we sur&ey our li&es and endea&ors we soon obser&e that almost the whole of our actions and desires are bound up with the e/istence of other human bein's. :e see that our 'hole nature resembles that of the social animals. :e eat food that others have gro'n, 'ear clothes that others have made, live in houses that others have built. -he greater part of our +no'ledge and beliefs has been communicated to us by other people through the medium of a language 'hich others have created. :ithout language our mental capacities 'ould be poor indeed, comparable to those of the higher animalsL 'e have, therefore, to admit that 'e o'e our principal advantage over the beasts to the fact of living in human society. ,he indi&idual) if left alone from birth would remain primiti&e and beast-like in his thou'hts and feelin's to a de'ree that we can hardly concei&e. ,he indi&idual is what he is and has the si'nificance that he has not so much in &irtue of his indi&iduality) but rather as a member of a 'reat human society) which directs his material and spiritual e/istence from the cradle to the 'ra&e.

-he example of great and pure characters is the only thing that can produce fine ideas and noble deeds. A man4s &alue to the community depends primarily on how far his feelin's) thou'hts) and actions are directed towards promotin' the 'ood of his fellows. :e call him good or bad according to ho' he stands in this matter. It loo+s at first sight as if our estimate of a man depended entirely on his social Gualities. And yet such an attitude would be wron'. It is clear that all the valuable things, material, spiritual, and moral, 'hich 'e receive from society can be traced bac+ through

countless generations to certain creative individuals. -he use of fire, the cultivation of edible plants, the steam engine F each 'as discovered by one man. 6nly the indi&idual can think) and thereby create new &alues for society ( nay) e&en set up new moral standards to which the life of the community conforms. Without creati&e) independently thinkin' and .ud'in' personalities the upward de&elopment of society is as unthinkable as the de&elopment of the indi&idual personality without the nourishin' soil of the community. ,he health of society thus depends quite as much on the independence of the indi&iduals composin' it as on their close political cohesion. 6f Wealth

I am absolutely convinced that no 'ealth in the 'orld can help humanity for'ard, even in the hands of the most devoted 'or+er in this cause. ,he e/ample of 'reat and pure characters is the only thin' that can produce fine ideas and noble deeds. oney only appeals to selfishness and al'ays tempts its o'ners irresistibly to abuse it. Can anyone ima'ine 2oses) 0esus) or 3andhi armed with the money-ba's of Carne'ie+

@eli'ion in Science

Pou will hardly find one amon' the profounder sort of scientific minds without a peculiar reli'ious feelin' of his own. 7ut it is different from the reli'ion of the nai&e man. For the latter 3od is a bein' from whose care one hopes to benefit and whose punishment one fears= a sublimation of a feelin' similar to that of a child for its father) a bein' to whom one stands to some e/tent in a personal relation) howe&er deeply it may be tin'ed with awe. 7ut the scientist is possessed by the sense of uni&ersal causation. ,he future) to him) is e&ery whit as necessary and determined as the past. ,here is nothin' di&ine about morality) it is a purely human affair. *is reli'ious feelin' takes the form of a rapturous ama1ement at the harmony of natural law) which re&eals an intelli'ence of such superiority that) compared with it) all the systematic thinkin' and actin' of human bein's is an utterly insi'nificant reflection. -his feeling is the guiding principle of his life and 'or+, in so far as he succeeds in +eeping himself from the shac+les of selfish desire. It is beyond Guestion closely a+in to that 'hich has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages.

3reetin' to 3. 7ernard Shaw

,here are few enou'h people with sufficient independence to see the weaknesses and follies of their contemporaries and remain themsel&es untouched by them. And these isolated fe' usually soon lose their 1eal for putting things to rights 'hen they have come face to face 'ith human obduracy. 6nly to a tiny minority is it 'i&en to fascinate their 'eneration by subtle humour and 'race and to hold the mirror up to it by the impersonal a'ency of art. ,o-day % salute with sincere emotion the supreme master of this method) who has deli'hted ( and educated ( us all.

Some ;otes on my American %mpressions first published as 2 y Airst Impression of the O.,.A.2 (1#71&

-he prestige of government has undoubtedly been lo'ered considerably by the prohibition la'... -he cult of individual personalities is al'ays, in my vie', unJustified. -o be sure, nature distributes her gifts variously among her children. 3ut there are plenty of the 'ell) endo'ed ones too, than+ (od, and I am firmly convinced that most of them live Guiet, unregarded lives. It stri+es me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a fe' of them for boundless admiration, attributing superhuman po'ers of mind and character to them. -his has been my fate, and the contrast bet'een the popular estimate of my po'ers and achievements and the reality is simply grotesGue. ,he consciousness of this e/traordinary state of affairs would be unbearable but for one 'reat consolin' thou'ht< it is a welcome symptom in an a'e which is commonly denounced as materialistic) that it makes heroes of men whose ambitions lie wholly in the intellectual and moral sphere. ,his pro&es that knowled'e and .ustice are ranked abo&e wealth and power by a lar'e section of the human race. y experience teaches me that this idealistic outloo+ is particularly prevalent in America, 'hich is usually decried as a particularly materialistic country.

,he presti'e of 'o&ernment has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothin' is more destructi&e of respect for the 'o&ernment and the law of the land than passin' laws which cannot be enforced. %t is an open secret that the dan'erous increase of crime in the >nited States is closely connected with this. -he Onited ,tates is the most po'erful technically advanced country in the 'orld to)day. Its influence on the shaping of international relations is absolutely incalculable. 3ut America is a large country and its people have so far not sho'n much interest in great international problems, among 'hich the problem of disarmament occupies first place today. -his must be changed, if only in the essential interests of the Americans. -he last 'ar has sho'n that there are no longer any barriers bet'een the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely inter'oven. -he people of this country must reali1e that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. -he part of passive spectator is un'orthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round.

If one purges the Judaism of the 0rophets and >hristianity as Jesus >hrist taught it of all subseGuent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left 'ith a teaching 'hich is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. Christianity and 0udaism

%f one pur'es the 0udaism of the 8rophets and Christianity as 0esus Christ tau'ht it of all subsequent additions) especially those of the priests) one is left with a teachin' which is capable of curin' all the social ills of humanity. %t is the duty of e&ery man of 'ood will to stri&e steadfastly in his own little world to make this teachin' of pure humanity a li&in' force) so far as he can. If he ma+es an honest attempt in this direction 'ithout being crushed and trampled under foot by his contemporaries, he may consider himself and the community to 'hich he belongs luc+y.

>nconfirmed< -he follo'ing Guotes have been cited as being from The )orld As I *ee It but are not in later abridged editions of the original 1#4# boo+ and thus these citations are not yet confirmed. ay the conscience and the common sense of the peoples be a'a+ened, so that 'e may reach a ne' stage in the life of nations, 'here people 'ill loo+ bac+ on 'ar as an incomprehensible aberration of their forefathersM ;ationalism is an infantile disease. %t is the measles of mankind. -he state is made for man, not man for the state. And in this respect science resembles the state.

[edit] $Why Socialism+$ A9BMBD

&onthly e!ie$ /e' Cor+ ( ay 1#4#&

2odern anthropolo'y has tau'ht us) throu'h comparati&e in&esti'ation of so-called primiti&e cultures) that the social beha&ior of human bein's may differ 'reatly) dependin' upon pre&ailin' cultural patterns and the types of or'anisation which predominate in society. It is on this that those 'ho are striving to improve the lot of man may ground their hopes: human beings are not condemned, because of their biological constitution, to annihilate each other or to be at the mercy of a cruel, self)inflicted fate.

-he o'ner of the means of production is in a position to purchase the labor po'er of the 'or+er. 3y using the means of production, the 'or+er produces ne' goods 'hich become the property of the capitalist. -he essential point about this process is the relation bet'een 'hat the 'or+er produces and 'hat he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. In so far as the labor contract is free 'hat the 'or+er receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists4 reGuirements for labor po'er in relation to the number of 'or+ers competing for Jobs. %t is important to understand that e&en in theory the payment of the worker is not determined by the &alue of his product. % ha&e now reached the point where % may indicate briefly what to me constitutes the essence of the crisis of our time. %t concerns the relationship of the indi&idual to society. ,he indi&idual has become more conscious than e&er of his dependence upon society. 7ut he does not e/perience this dependence as a positi&e asset) as an or'anic tie) as a protecti&e force) but rather as a threat to his natural ri'hts) or e&en to his economic e/istence. oreover, his position in society is such that the egotistical drives of his ma+e)up are constantly being accentuated, 'hile his social drives, 'hich are by nature 'ea+er, progressively deteriorate. All human bein's) whate&er their position in society) are sufferin' from this process of deterioration. >nknowin'ly prisoners of their own e'otism) they feel insecure) lonely) and depri&ed of the nai&e) simple) and unsophisticated en.oyment of life. 2an can find meanin' in life) short and perilous as it is) only throu'h de&otin' himself to society. ,he economic anarchy of capitalist society as it e/ists today is) in my opinion) the real source of the e&il. :e see before us a huge community of producers the members of 'hich are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor F not by force, but on the 'hole in faithful compliance 'ith legally established rules. I am convinced there is only one 'ay to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system 'hich 'ould be oriented to'ard social goals. ;e&ertheless) it is necessary to remember that a planned economy is not yet socialism. A planned economy as such may be accompanied by the complete ensla&ement of the indi&idual. -he achievement of socialism reGuires the solution of some extremely difficult socio)political problems: ho' is it possible, in vie' of the far) reaching centralisation of political and economic po'er, to prevent bureaucracy from becoming all)po'erful and over'eening< *ow can the ri'hts of the indi&idual be protected and therewith a democratic counterwei'ht to the power of bureaucracy be assured+ Clarity about the aims and problems of socialism is of 'reatest si'nificance in our a'e of transition. ,ince, under present circumstances, free and unhindered discussion of these problems has come under a po'erful taboo, I consider the foundation of this maga1ine to be an important public service.

.eferring to the &onthly e!ie$, in 'hich the essay 'as published.

[edit] 6n the 3enerali1ed ,heory of 3ra&itation A9BK:D

*cientific American (April 1#%;&

-his is the reason 'hy all attempts to obtain a deeper +no'ledge of the foundations of physics seem doomed to me unless the basic concepts are in accordance 'ith general relativity from the beginning. -his situation ma+es it difficult to use our empirical +no'ledge, ho'ever comprehensive, in loo+ing for the fundamental concepts and relations of physics, and it forces us to apply free speculation to a much greater extent than is presently assumed by most physicists. I do not see any reason to assume that the heuristic significance of the principle of general relativity is restricted to gravitation and that the rest of physics can be dealt 'ith separately on the basis of special relativity, 'ith the hope that later on the 'hole may be fitted consistently into a general relativistic scheme. I do not thin+ that such an attitude, although historically understandable, can be obJectively Justified. -he comparative smallness of 'hat 'e +no' today as gravitational effects is not a conclusive reason for ignoring the principle of general relativity in theoretical investigations of a fundamental character. In other 'ords, I do not believe that it is Justifiable to as+: :hat 'ould physics loo+ li+e 'ithout gravitation<

[edit] Out of My Later ears A9BK:D

@verything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual 'ho can labor in freedom.

[edit] Albert !instein: The Human Side A9BKMD

0olitics is a pendulum 'hose s'ings bet'een anarchy and tyranny are fueled by perpetually reJuvenated illusions. o p. 9! I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern 'ith no superhuman authority behind it.
o

p. 9# ) 1" July 1#%9 ) unsent letter

-he mystical trend of our time, 'hich sho's itself particularly in the rampant gro'th of the so)called -heosophy and ,piritualism, is for me no more than a symptom of 'ea+ness and confusion. ,ince our inner experiences consist of reproductions, and combinations of sensory impressions, the concept of a soul 'ithout a body seem to me to be empty and devoid of meaning.
o

p. 4; ) % Aeb 1#71

/othing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of dutyL it stems rather from love and devotion to'ards men and to'ards obJective things.
o

p. 4= ) 9; July 4" ) letter

In my opinion, condemning the Vionist movement as 2nationalistic2 is unJustified. >onsider the path by 'hich *er1l came to his mission. Initially he had been completely cosmopolitan. 3ut during the Dreyfus trial in 0aris he suddenly reali1ed 'ith great clarity ho' precarious 'as the situation of the Je's in the 'estern 'orld. And courageously he dre' the conclusion that 'e are discriminated against or murdered not because 'e are (ermans, Arenchmen, Americans, etc. of the 2Je'ish faith2 but simply because 'e are Je's. -hus already our precarious situation forces us to stand together irrespective of our citi1enship. Vionism gave the (erman Je's no great protection against annihilation. 3ut it did give the survivors the inner strength to endure the debacle 'ith dignity and 'ithout losing their healthy self respect. Keep in mind that perhaps a similar fate could be lying in 'ait for your children.
o

pp. =9)=4 ) c. 1#4=

%t seems hard to sneak a look at 3od4s cards. 7ut that *e plays dice and uses 4telepathic4 methods... is somethin' that % cannot belie&e for a sin'le moment.
o

p. =! ) letter to >ornel Banc1os, 71

ar 1#47

0hilosophy is li+e a mother 'ho gave birth to and endo'ed all the other sciences. -herefore, one should not scorn her in her na+edness and poverty, but should hope, rather, that part of her Don Euixote ideal 'ill live on in her children so that they do not sin+ into philistinism.
o

p. 1;= ) 7! ,ep 97

-here has been an earth for a little more than a billion years. As for the Guestion of the end of it I advise: :ait and seeM
o

p. 94 ) 1# Jun %1

If the believers of the present)day religions 'ould earnestly try to thin+ and act in the spirit of the founders of these religions then no hostility on the basis of religion 'ould exist among the follo'ers of the different faiths. @ven the conflicts and the realm of religion 'ould be expoesed as insignificant.
o

p. #= ) 7" Jan 4" ) statement to >hristian conference

[edit] Sidelights on "elativity A9BCFD

I,3/ ;4!=74%11W

*o' can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought 'hich is independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the obJects of reality< Is human

reason, then, 'ithout experience, merely by ta+ing thought, able to fathom the properties of real things<

?ne reason 'hy mathematics enJoys special esteem, above all other sciences, is that its la's are absolutely certain and indisputable, 'hile those of other sciences are to some extent debatable and in constant danger of being overthro'n by ne'ly discovered facts. As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality) they are not certain= and as far as they are certain) they do not refer to reality. % ne&er commit to memory anythin' that can easily be looked up in a book.

[edit] !instein#s $od A9BBQD

Einstein(s -od / Albert Einstein(s 2%est as a *cientist and as a 7e$ to eplace a 1orsaken -od (1##"& by .obert /. (oldman I,3/ 1%=!71#!9;

,he bi'otry of the nonbelie&er is for me nearly as funny as the bi'otry of the belie&er.

I have al'ays believed that Jesus meant by the Kingdom of (od the small group scattered all through time of intellectually and ethically valuable people. A man 'ho is convinced of the truth of his religion is indeed never tolerant. At the least, he is to feel pity for the adherent of another religion but usually it does not stop there. -he faithful adherent of a religion 'ill try first of all to convince those that believe in another religion and usually he goes on to hatred if he is not successful. *o'ever, hatred then leads to persecution 'hen the might of the maJority is behind it. In the case of a >hristian clergyman, the tragic)comical is found in this: that the >hristian religion demands love from the faithful, even love for the enemy. -his demand, because it is indeed superhuman, he is unable to fulfill. -hus intolerance and hatred ring through the oily 'ords of the clergyman. -he love, 'hich on the >hristian side is the basis for the conciliatory attempt to'ards Judaism is the same as the love of a child for a ca+e. -hat means that it contains the hope that the obJect of the love 'ill be eaten up... o Better to .abbi ,olomon (oldman of >hicago4s Anshe @met >ongregation

If I 'ould follo' your advice and Jesus could perceive it, he, as a Je'ish teacher, surely 'ould not approve of such behavior.

.eply to a .oman >atholic student urging him to pray to Jesus >hrist, the 8irgin ary, and convert to >hristianity.

,he fact that man produces a concept $%$ besides the totality of his mental and emotional e/periences or perceptions does not pro&e that there must be any specific e/istence behind such a concept. We are succumbin' to illusions produced by our self-created lan'ua'e) without reachin' a better understandin' of anythin'. ost of so)called philosophy is due to this +ind of fallacy. 6ne has a feelin' that one has a kind of home in this timeless community of human bein's that stri&e for truth. R % ha&e always belie&ed that 0esus meant by the 5in'dom of 3od the small 'roup scattered all throu'h time of intellectually and ethically &aluable people. -o ta+e those fools in clerical garb seriously is to sho' them too much honor.
o

>omment on the Onion of ?rthodox .abbis after expelling a rabbi because of his disbelief in (od as a personal entity.

2I said before, the most beautiful and most profound religious emotion that 'e can experience is the sensation of the mystical. And this mystically is the po'er of all true science. If there is any such concept as a (od, it is a subtle spirit, not an image of a man that so many have fixed in their minds. In essence, my religion consists of a humble admiration for this illimitable superior spirit that reveals itself in the slight details that 'e are able to perceive 'ith our frail and feeble minds.2

[edit] Gisputed

-he 'orld is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people 'ho are evil, but because of the people 'ho don4t do anything about it. o As Guoted in Breakthro%gh 3 Israel in a Changing )orld (1##=& by (ad Caacobi, p. #!L though this is 'idely Guoted in this form and the variant belo', there has yet been no earlier source located for this remar+ than this 1##= boo+.
o

8ariant: -he 'orld is a dangerous place, not because of those 'ho do evil, but because of those 'ho loo+ on and do nothing.

As Guoted in Conscio%s Co%rage 3 T%rning E!eryday Challenges Into 5pport%nities (7;;4& by aureen ,tearns, p. ##

[edit] 2isattributed

X>ontempt prior to investigation is 'hat enslaves a mind to Ignorance.Y

7ein' a lo&er of freedom) when the re&olution came in 3ermany) % looked to the uni&ersities to defend it) knowin' that they had always boasted of their de&otion to the cause of truth= but) no) the uni&ersities immediately were silenced. -hen I loo+ed to the great editors of the ne'spapers 'hose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedomL but they, li+e the universities, 'ere silenced in a fe' short 'ee+s... ?nly the >hurch stood sGuarely across the path of *itler4s campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the >hurch before, but no' I feel a great affection and admiration because the >hurch alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that 'hat I once despised I no' praise unreservedly. o Euoted in Time maga1ine (79 December 1#4;& page 9!, but 'ithout attribution or any sort of context. :illiam >. :aterhouse at e*keptic indicates that in a letter to >ount ontgelas ( arch 7!, 1#4"&, 5@instein Archives, item number %!)%4!6 @instein 2explained that early in the *itler years he had casually mentioned to some Journalist that hardly any (erman intellectuals except a fe' churchmen 'ere supporting individual rights and intellectual freedom. *e added that this statement had subsequently been drastically e/a''erated beyond anythin' that he could reco'ni1e as his own.2 3uddhism has the characteristics of 'hat 'ould be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal (od, avoids dogmas and theologyL it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.
o

8ariant: -he religion of the future 'ill be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal (od and avoid dogmas and theology. >overing both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. If there is any religion that 'ould cope 'ith modern scientific needs, it 'ould be 3uddhism. -hese t'o statements are very similar, 'idely Guoted, and seem to paraphrase some ideas in the essay 2.eligion and ,cience2, but neither has been properly sourced. /otable @instein scholars such as John ,tachel and -homas J. cAarlane (author of B%ddha and Einstein3 The Parallel *ayings& +no' of this statement but have not found any source for it. Any information on any definite original sources for these is 'elcome. -his Guote does not actually appear in 2Albert @instein: -he *uman ,ide2 as is sometimes claimed.

@vil is the absence of (od.

o

-his statement has been attributed to others before @insteinL its first attribution to @instein appears to have been in an email story that began circulating in 7;;4. ,ee the Urban .egends eference Pages for more discussion.

-'o things inspire me to a'e: the starry heavens and the moral universe 'ithin.

If @instein said this, he 'as almost certainly Guoting philosopher Immanuel Kant (from the conclusion to the Criti@%e of P%re eason (1"!!&, cited in the Col%mbia )orld of 2%otations &

-he only thing that interferes 'ith my learning is my education.

o

-his is similar to a Guote attributed to in the 'ay of my education2.

ar+ -'ain: 2I never let my schooling get

-here comes a time 'hen the mind ta+es a higher plane of +no'ledge but can never prove ho' it got there. Cou do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.
o

variant: If you can4t explain something to a six)year)old, you really don4t understand it yourself. AreGuently attributed to .ichard Aeynman >f. this from Kurt 8onnegut4s novel Cat(s Cradle:

o o

%r& Hoeni''er used to say that any s(ientist )ho (ouldn#t e*+lain to an eight,year,old )hat he )as doing )as a (harlatan& Die Astrologie ist eine )issenschaft fAr sich' Aber eine $eg$eisende' Ich habe !iel a%s ihr gelernt %nd !ielen ,%t6en a%s ihr 6iehen kBnnen' Die physikalischen Erkenntnisse %nterstreichen die &acht der *terne Aber irdisches -eschick' Die Astrologie aber %nterstreicht in ge$issem *inne $ieder%m die physikalischen Erkenntnisse' Deshalb ist sie eine Art .ebens0eli?ier fAr die -esellschaftC English3 Astrology is a science in itself and contains an illuminating body of +no'ledge. It taught me many things, and I am greatly indebted to it. (eophysical evidence reveals the po'er of the stars and the planets in relation to the terrestrial. In turn, astrology reinforces this po'er to some extent. -his is 'hy astrology is li+e a life)giving elixir to man+ind.
o o o

(erman Guote attributed to @instein in #%ters astrologischer Dalender 89>: 5A6 -ranslated by -ad ann, unidentified 1#!" 'or+

>ontradicted by Denis *amel, The End of the Einstein0Astrology0*%pporter #oa?, *keptical In@%irer, 8ol. 91, /o. = (/ov)Dec 7;;"&, pp. 9#)49 Alice >alaprice, The E?panded 2%otable Einstein: 2Attributed to @instein EFG An excellent example of a Guotation someone made up and attributed to @instein in order to lend an idea credibility.2

@instein said on astrology: 2-he reader should note 5Kepler4s6 remar+s on astrology. -hey sho' that the inner enemy, conGuered and rendered innocuous, 'as not yet completely dead.2 In his

introduction to >arola 3aumgardt4s Johannes Kepler: Bife and Betters, /e' Cor+, 0hilosophical Bibrary, 1#%1.

If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man 'ould have no more than four years to live. /o more bees, no more pollination ... no more menM o 0robably from a bee+eepers4 protest in 1##4 in @uropeL according to ,nopes.com, someone may have invented the phrase and attributed it to @instein for political reasons. -he most fundamental Guestion 'e can ever as+ ourselves is 'hether or not the universe 'e live in is friendly or hostile.
o

-his has been Guoted in a relatively fe' places on the internet, but seems to have no earlier source than an obscure 'eb essay 2.einventing Aailure: Designing ,uccess2 by *arald Anderson, 'here the statement seems to have been a loose summation of @instein4s ideas rather than a Guote: 2Albert @instein once commented that the most fundamental Guestion 'e can ever as+ ourselves is 'hether or not the universe 'e live in is friendly or hostile. *e hypothesi1ed that your ans'er to that Guestion 'ould determine your destiny. Euoted in orris 3erman: Coming to 5%r *enses (1#!#& pp. 41

-he definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
o

.ita

ae 3ro'n

[edit] Suotes about Einstein

Arranged alphabetically by author

Bi+e many other great scientists he does not fit the boxes in 'hich popular polemicists li+e to pigeonhole him. ... It is clear for example that he had respect for the religious values enshrined 'ithin Judaic and >hristian traditions ... but 'hat he understood by religion 'as something far more subtle than 'hat is usually meant by the 'ord in popular discussion. o John 3roo+e, as Guoted in 2>hildish superstition: @instein4s letter ma+es vie' of religion relatively clear2 in The -%ardian (19 ay 7;;!& @instein 'as a giant. *is head 'as in the clouds, but his feet 'ere on the ground. -hose of us 'ho are not so tall have to chooseM
o

.ichard Aeynman, as Guoted in Collecti!e Electrodynamics 3 2%ant%m 1o%ndations of Electromagnetism (7;;7& by >arver A. ead, p. xix

I li+e Guoting @instein. Kno' 'hy< 3ecause nobody dares contradict you.
o

,tuds -er+el, as Guoted in 28oice of America2 in The -%ardian (1

arch 7;;7&

@instein explained his theory to me every day, and on my arrival I 'as fully convinced that he understood it.
o

Attributed to >haim :ei1mann, after a long trans)Atlantic JourneyL *impson(s Contemporary 2%otations (=!77& credits /igel >alder, Einstein(s Uni!erse (1#"#&L a slightly different version appears in David 3odanis, EHmcI, 'hich credits >arl ,eelig, Albert Einstein3 A Doc%mentary Biography (1#%=&, pp. !;$!1

[edit] E/ternal links

:i+ipedia has an article about: Albert !instein

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@instein at the American Institute of 0hysics @instein at the American useum of /atural *istory /?8A : @instein .evealed at 03, -he /obel 0ri1e in 0hysics 1#71 F Albert @instein 0rofile at the Oniversity of ,t Andre's, ,cotland @instein on ,cience and .eligion Juergen ,chmidhuber4s @instein biographical highlights @instein4s letter to .oosevelt A3I files @instein family pictures @instein4s 'ife: ileva aric

Albert @instein 3iography from 2(erman)American corner: *istory and *eritage2 ?fficial @instein Archives ?nline : 9;;; documents
o

@instein -imeline

Albert @instein Archive at the Oniversity of Jerusalem ?fficial @insteinZ 'ebsite @instein 0apers 0roJect at >altech (>alifornia Institute of -echology& .i!ing Einstein at the ax 0lanc+ Institute

Albert @instein ?nline ) a comprehensive listing of online resources about @instein. A%dio e?cerpts of famo%s speeches3 e[mc7 Q relativity, Impossibility of atomic energy, arms race (Arom Time maga1ine archives& Albert @instein: The )orld as I see it Albert @instein: )hy *ocialism? -heory of relativity in 4)letter 'ords or shorter @instein and .eligion (1###& by ax Jammer (0DA document&

2>hildish superstition: @instein4s letter ma+es vie' of religion relatively clear2 in The -%ardian (19 ay 7;;!& Albert @instein athematicians ]

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