Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology

by Max Jammer

Book Overview

The philosophy of religion and the quest for spiritual truth preoccupied Albert Einstein--so much that it has been said "one might suspect he was a disguised theologian." Nevertheless, the literature on the life and work of Einstein, extensive as it is, does not provide an adequate account of his religious conception and sentiments. Only fragmentarily known, Einstein's ideas about religion have been often distorted both by atheists and by religious...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691006997
• ISBN13: 9780691006994
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Service rendering

Thanks for your service. I received my book in very good condition, well packaged. There were some delays in our local post office with the delivery because my mobile number was not included in the address. Otherwise, they would have contacted me as soon as it arrived. I hope it will be included in future orders.

A Spiritual Einstein?

I greatly enjoyed this book. Certainly, as most people, I am interested in what Einstein thought about God and the Big Question. Just as curious, I have always been intrigued at how Einstein has influenced the way we think about religion or more specifically, spirituality. Countless times I have read about Einstein's quote regarding "spooky action at a distance" when reading books that attempt to explain spirituality. In addition to this quote, several other Einsteinisms pop up in these tomes. The book guides us on a journey of how deeply affected Einstein was about the spiritual realm but also how his theory of relativity has influenced theological thought ever since. Written in clear, concise language, Einstein and Religion is not a path of conversion to Einstein's concept of religion. The reader will not find a single sentence or word with a missionary intent. The book presents a philosophical and historical perspective without bias. Exactly what I wanted and exactly what I got. I would also recommend Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World and God and the New Physics. I hope you find this review helpful Michael L. Gooch

Loved it.

On page seventy-five Jammer writes "As he once explained to a Japanese scholar, a deep feeling and his belief in a superior mind that reveals itself in the world of expeirence represent his concept of God." That's where I started to really fall for this book. When Jammer quotes Protestant Paul Tillich (passages written in 1940) and Catholic Hans Kung--both prominent Professors of Christian theology--on Einstein's denial of a personal God, I was in love with the book, now better understanding the theological term "a personal God" from the "Jewish-Christain" Tradition. One wonders if Einstein could have read what his friend Max Jammer has written whether Einstein would have softened or even overturned his statements about his denial of a personal God. Also, once Tillich's (with Hans Kung) and Einstein's ideas are laid out together, Einstein's views don't seem to have deserved the public outrage that they received in the 1930's onward by prominent members of the Catholic Church, Protestant Christians, and Orthodox Rabbis. As Max Jammer points out, it's not as if any of Einstein's critics believe that God is a mere person with all our faults and imperfections. In that sense no orthodox Rabbi, Preist, or Preacher would claim to believe in a personal God either.

Excellent discussion of an impersonal God

Three chapters: two for the everyman and one for the brave physicist/mathematician. The first two chapters are an excellent discourse on a Universal and Logical but impersonal God, the creator of the Universe. Well worth reading for those confused by the inconsistencies in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Places forgiveness, ethics and morality squarely on the shoulders of the individual. And chapter three really nails it down even though it required six reads for this mathematician.

Einstein, Bohr and determinism.

This book explains clearly what Einstein thought about God and religion.I quote the author: "A God who rewards and punishes is inconceivable to him for the single reason that a man's actions are determined by necessity, external and internal, so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsable, any more than an inanimate object is rsponsible for the motion it undergoes".For Einstein the demon of Laplace was all too real. He believed in total determinism. For him there was no free will. I quote Einstein: "I do not at all believe in human freedom in the philosophical sense. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity. Schopenhauer's saying, 'A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants,' has been a real inspiration to me since my youth."This stance by one of the most brilliant scientists ever is, for me, unbelievable. It had a profound influence on his later scientific work, where he tried in vain to refute quantum mechanics. He knew too well, as Bohr stated, that quantum mechanics gives free will a new background against the mechanical concept of nature.On the other hand, could Einstein's stance be an excuse for his not so high standard moral behaviour when he was a young man?The last part of the book "Physics and theology" is only for theologians. It reminds me of the stubborn fight of Paul Davies in his book 'The mind of God' to find a place for God in modern physics and the quantum universe. Davies only found ... mysticism as a solace for the faithful.A revealing book.

A very great and accurate survey.

Many people think that Einstein is an Atheist. That is definitely WRONG. Even Einstein regards himself as a 'deeply religious person'. If you want to know Einstein and his thoughts on religion, this book is a must read. This book is divided into 3 chapter. The first chapter bassically is just an 'historical account' on Einstein religious lifes, and what effecting his life since he was young.The second chapter deals with Einstein's philosophy of religion. This is book is not talking about 'Einstein' Religion', but how Einstein's views the religion and his idea of religion, and why he regards himself as a 'deeply religious man'. This chapter talks also about what Einstein called as his 'cosmic religion'. And how Einstein's views God. Einstein definitely NOT an atheist at all, as many people might think.The third chapter talks about how Einstein's physics (i.e Relativity theory) impacts religion and philosophy of religion in general. It provides a very great survey of how people use Relativity theory as his base argument about his philosophy of religion. It talks about ideas people have affecting by the relativity theory, and how that relates to the philosphy of religion, the philosophy of space and time, and the relation of God and time.In general, this book is very great. It provides a very great survey with great accuracy and objectivity.For Einstein biography, I also recommends "Subtle is the Lord..." by Abraham Pais.