Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical
physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two
pillars of modern physics. Einstein’s is also known for his influence on the
philosophy of science.
His philosophic and curious mind made for
some really interesting theories on life and existence, which were featured on-
Earth Child and taken from- Einstein and the Poet: In Search of the Cosmic Man
(1983). From a series of meetings William Hermanns had with Einstein in 1930,
1943, 1948, and 1954
“School failed me,
and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel
(sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to
learn for the exam. What I hated most was the competitive system there, and
especially sports. Because of this, I wasn’t worth anything, and several times
they suggested I leave.
This was a Catholic School in Munich. I
felt that my thirst for knowledge was being strangled by my teachers; grades
were their only measurement. How can a teacher understand youth with such a
system?
From the age of twelve I began to suspect authority and distrust teachers. I learned mostly at home, first from my uncle and then from a student who came to eat with us once a week. He would give me books on physics and astronomy.
The more I read, the more puzzled I was by
the order of the universe and the disorder of the human mind, by the scientists
who didn’t agree on the how, the when, or the why of creation.
Then one day this student brought me Kant’s
Critique of Pure Reason. Reading Kant, I began to suspect everything I was
taught. I no longer believed in the known God of the Bible, but rather in the
mysterious God expressed in nature.
The basic laws of the universe are simple,
but because our senses are limited, we can’t grasp them. There is a pattern in
creation.
If we look at this tree outside whose roots
search beneath the pavement for water, or a flower which sends its sweet smell
to the pollinating bees, or even our own selves and the inner forces that drive
us to act, we can see that we all dance to a mysterious tune, and the piper who
plays this melody from an inscrutable distance—whatever name we give
him—Creative Force, or God—escapes all book knowledge.
Science is never finished because the human
mind only uses a small portion of its capacity, and man’s exploration of his
world is also limited.
Creation may be spiritual in origin, but that
doesn’t mean that everything created is spiritual. How can I explain such
things to you? Let us accept the world is a mystery. Nature is neither solely
material nor entirely spiritual.
Man, too, is more than flesh and blood;
otherwise, no religions would have been possible. Behind each cause is still
another cause; the end or the beginning of all causes has yet to be found.
Yet, only one thing must be remembered: there
is no effect without a cause, and there is no lawlessness in creation.
If I hadn’t an absolute faith in the harmony
of creation, I wouldn’t have tried for thirty years to express it in a mathematical
formula. It is only man’s consciousness of what he does with his mind that
elevates him above the animals, and enables him to become aware of himself and
his relationship to the universe.
I believe that I have cosmic religious
feelings. I never could grasp how one could satisfy these feelings by praying
to limited objects. The tree outside is life, a statue is dead. The whole of
nature is life, and life, as I observe it, rejects a God resembling man.
Man has infinite dimensions and finds God in
his conscience. [A cosmic religion] has no dogma other than teaching man that
the universe is rational and that his highest destiny is to ponder it and
co-create with its laws.
I like to experience the universe as one
harmonious whole. Every cell has life. Matter, too, has life; it is energy
solidified. Our bodies are like prisons, and I look forward to be free, but I
don’t speculate on what will happen to me.
I live here now, and my responsibility is in
this world now. I deal with natural laws. This is my work here on earth.
The world needs new moral impulses which, I’m
afraid, won’t come from the churches, heavily compromised as they have been
throughout the centuries.
Perhaps those impulses must come from
scientists in the tradition of Galileo, Kepler and Newton. In spite of failures
and persecutions, these men devoted their lives to proving that the universe is
a single entity, in which, I believe, a humanized God has no place.
The genuine scientist is not moved by praise
or blame, nor does he preach. He unveils the universe and people come eagerly,
without being pushed, to behold a new revelation: the order, the harmony, the
magnificence of creation!
And as man becomes conscious of the
stupendous laws that govern the universe in perfect harmony, he begins to
realize how small he is. He sees the pettiness of human existence, with its
ambitions and intrigues, its ‘I am better than thou’ creed.
This is the beginning of cosmic religion
within him; fellowship and human service become his moral code. Without such
moral foundations, we are hopelessly doomed.
If we want to improve the world we cannot do
it with scientific knowledge but with ideals. Confucius, Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi
have done more for humanity than science has done.
We must begin with the heart of man—with his
conscience—and the values of conscience can only be manifested by selfless
service to mankind.
Religion and science go together. As I’ve
said before, science without religion is lame and religion without science is
blind. They are interdependent and have a common goal—the search for truth.
Hence it is absurd for religion to proscribe
Galileo or Darwin or other scientists. And it is equally absurd when scientists
say that there is no God. The real scientist has faith, which does not mean
that he must subscribe to a creed.
Without religion there is no charity. The
soul given to each of us is moved by the same living spirit that moves the
universe.
I am not a mystic. Trying to find out the
laws of nature has nothing to do with mysticism, though in the face of creation
I feel very humble. It is as if a spirit is manifest infinitely superior to
man’s spirit. Through my pursuit in science I have known cosmic religious
feelings. But I don’t care to be called a mystic.
I believe that we don’t need to worry about
what happens after this life, as long as we do our duty here—to love and to
serve.
I have faith in the universe, for it is
rational. Law underlies each happening. And I have faith in my purpose here on
earth. I have faith in my intuition, the language of my conscience, but I have
no faith in speculation about Heaven and Hell. I’m concerned with this
time—here and now.
Many people think that the progress of the
human race is based on experiences of an empirical, critical nature, but I say
that true knowledge is to be had only through a philosophy of deduction. For it
is intuition that improves the world, not just following a trodden path of
thought.
Intuition makes us look at unrelated facts
and then think about them until they can all be brought under one law. To look
for related facts means holding onto what one has instead of searching for new
facts.
Intuition is the father of new knowledge,
while empiricism is nothing but an accumulation of old knowledge. Intuition,
not intellect, is the ‘open sesame’ of yourself.
Indeed, it is not intellect, but intuition
which advances humanity. Intuition tells man his purpose in this life.
I do not need any promise of eternity to be
happy. My eternity is now. I have only one interest: to fulfill my purpose here
where I am.
This purpose is not given me by my parents or
my surroundings. It is induced by some unknown factors. These factors make me a
part of eternity.”
~Albert Einstein
Text Source: Einstein and the Poet: In Search
of the Cosmic Man (1983). From a series of meetings William Hermanns had with
Einstein in 1930, 1943, 1948, and 1954
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