Albert Einstein
Special and general theories of relativity of German-born American theoretical physicist Albert Einstein revolutionized modern thought on the nature of space and time and formed a base for the exploitation of atomic energy; he won a Nobel Prize of 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
His paper of 1905 formed the basis of electronics. His first paper, also published in 1905, changed the world.
He completed his Philosophiae Doctor at the University of Zurich before 1909.
Einstein, a pacifist during World War I, stayed a firm proponent of social justice and responsibility.
Einstein thought that Newtonion mechanics no longer enough reconciled the laws of classical mechanics with those of the electromagnetic field. This thought led to the development. He recognized, however, that he ably also extended the principle to gravitational fields and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916 published a paper. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light, which laid the foundation of the photon.
Best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, dubbed "the world's most famous equation," he received "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory.
He visited the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and went not back to Germany. On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter, alerting Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president, to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" and recommending that the United States begin similar research. This recommendation eventually led to the Manhattan project. Einstein supported defending the Allied forces but largely denounced the idea of using the newly discovered nuclear fission as a weapon. Later, with Bertrand Russell–Einstein manifesto highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons.
After the rise of the Nazi party, Einstein made Princeton his permanent home as a citizen of United States in 1940. He chaired the emergency committee of atomic scientists, which organized to alert the public to the dangers of warfare.
At a symposium, he advised:
"In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope which in the past placed such vast power in the hands of priests. In their labors they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself. This is, to be sure a more difficult but an incomparably more worthy task... "
("Science, Philosophy and Religion, A Symposium," published by the Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion in their Relation to the Democratic Way of Life, Inc., New York, 1941).
In a letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind, dated 3 January 1954, Einstein stated:
"The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."
(The Guardian, "Childish superstition: Einstein's letter makes view of religion relatively clear," by James Randerson, May 13, 2008)
Great intellectual achievements and originality made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.
The institute for advanced study in Princeton, New Jersey, affiliated Einstein until his death in 1955.
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“There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair.”
“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.”
“As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable.”
“I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking”
“I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.”
“A conviction akin to religious feeling of the rationality or intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a high order.”
“Since the mathematicians have invaded the theory of relativity I do not understand it myself any more.”
“Pure mathematics is in its way the poetry of logical ideas.”
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth”
“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
“I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the Earth might be killed, but enough men capable of thinking, and enough books, would be left to start again, and civilization could be restored.”
“The most important question a person can ask is, "Is the Universe a friendly place?”
“Life is sacred, that is to say, it is the supreme value, to which all other values are subordinate.”
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
“I believe in intuitions and inspirations...I sometimes FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am.”
“You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.”
“A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth.”
“Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.”
“What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice.”
“The health of society thus depends quite as much on the independence of the individuals composing it as on their close political cohesion.”
“What is the meaning of human life, or, for that matter, of the life of any creature? To know the answer to this question means to be religious. You ask: Does it make any sense, then, to pose this question? I answer: The man who regards his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life.”
“the scientist's religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is utterly insignificant reflection. This feeling is the guiding principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages.”
“What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.”
“A true genius admits that he/she knows nothing.”
“If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.”
“Information is not knowledge.”
“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”
“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
“It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”
“A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.”
“I think that only daring speculation can lead us further and not accumulation of facts.”
“E=mc2”
“We never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we are born.”
“One of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.”
“We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. ”
“Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience.”
“From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other - above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”
“I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene….No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.”
“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.”
“The word 'God' is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation, no matter how subtle, can (for me) change this.”
“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.”
“My pacifism is an instinctive feeling, a feeling that possesses me because the murder of men is disgusting. My attitude is not derived from any intellectual theory but is based on my deepest antipathy to every kind of cruelty and hatred.”
“Past is deadFuture is uncertain;Present is all you have,So eat, drink and live merry.”
“Time is an illusion.”
“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.”
“Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
“I asked myself childish questions and proceeded to answer them.”
“Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exist for other people”