Christian Science and Dr. Albert Einstein on Religion, Math and Life
PREFACE There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual. The above statement 1 is from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. “It is the most profound statement ever made!” This is a comment reputedly made by Albert Einstein. His long quest for a “Unified Field Theory” should have ended here. Additional pertinent subject matter may be found in Frederick Dixon’s article entitled “Relativity in the light of Christian Science in The Christian Science Journal of November 1921. This booklet represents only a fractional collection of Professor Einstein’s thoughts on religion, math and life in general. It was prepared primarily for Christian Scientists expressing an interest therein and also to its appreciated contributors. These pages contain no criticism or Mary Baker Eddy or her textbook. Such are left to her biographies. Robert H. Hough [1] Mary Baker Eddy referred to this as the scientific statement of being. Time names Einstein top Person of 20th century ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK --- Albert Einstein, whose theories laid the ground-work for 20th century technologies ranging from television to space travel, has been chosen as Time’s Person of the Century, the magazine announced today. “In a century that will be remembered foremost for its science and technology --- in particular for our ability to understand and then harness the forces of the atom and universe --- one person clearly stands out as both the greatest mind and paramount icon of our age: The kindly, absent-minded professor whose wild halo of hair, piercing eyes, engaging humanity and extra-ordinary brilliance made his face a symbol and his name a synonym for genius, Albert Einstein,” the magazine said. Einstein, born in Germany in 1879, developed the theory of relativity, which rejects the concept of absolute motion and explains why motion, speed and mass appear different depending on the observer’s frame of reference. E I n s t e I n The theory laid the groundwork for spectacular technological developments and observations in many fields, including gravitation and the study of the cosmos, and nuclear fission, which is the basis for the atom bomb. In 1921, Einstein won the Nobel prize in physics. In 1933, he immigrated to the United States to take a post at Princeton University. While an ardent pacifist, Einstein in 1939 urged President Roosevelt in a letter to investigate using atomic energy to develop a bomb. Einstein died in 1955. In the issue that appears on newsstands Monday, Time called him a “genius, political refugee, humanitarian, locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe.” Time’s runners-up for Person of the Century were President Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. Albert Einstein Science without religion is lame; Religion without science is blind. Albert Einstein, 1941 Few people today realize how much Albert Einstein studied Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures , supported its conclusions, and admired its author, by Mary Baker Eddy. Dr. Einstein was known to visit Christian Science churches and Reading Rooms in the New York and New Jersey areas. There have been numerous anecdotes and quotes preserved over the years from individuals who have had knowledge of, or contact with Dr. Einstein, in connection with Christian Science. R.S. of WA., was told years ago by the librarian of the New York Reading Room which Dr. Einstein frequented, that upon his leaving the Reading Room one day he commented, “You people don’t know what you have in that book (meaning Science and Health).” “In an affidavit by Mary Spaulding, wife of the famous violinist, Alfred Spaulding, was preserved a conversation she had with Albert Einstein in the New York City Reading Room on 42nd Street. Dr. Einstein’s high regard for Science and Health is reflected in the following: ‘Science and Health is beyond this generation’s understanding. It is the pure science. And, to think that a woman knew this over eighty years ago!’” “A [librarian] in the [Reading Room] in Princeton, New Jersey told me that Dr. [Albert] Einstein was one of the most frequent visitors to the reading room. He would come in and spend an hour or two just reading Science and Health. One day as he was leaving the Reading Room, he stopped at the librarian’s desk, and said: ‘If everyone realized what is in that book (meaning Science and Health), you would not have enough room anywhere to accommodate the people who would be clamoring for it.’” Reminiscences of Elizabeth Earl Jones, from The Healer: The Healing Work of Mary Baker Eddy, p. 189. Source. http://www.christianscience.org/Einstein.htm RELIGION AND SCIENCE: IRRECONCILABLE? A response to a greeting sent by the Liberal Ministers' Club of New York City. Published in The Christian Register, June, 1948. Published in Ideas and Opinions, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1954.Does there truly exist an insuperable contradiction between religion and science? Can religion be superseded by science? The answers to these questions have, for centuries, given rise to considerable dispute and, indeed, bitter fighting. Yet, in my own mind there can be no doubt that in both cases a dispassionate consideration can only lead to a negative answer. What complicates the solution, however, is the fact that while most people readily agree on what is meant by "science," they are likely to differ on the meaning of "religion.” As to science, we may well define it for our purpose as "methodical thinking directed toward finding regulative connections between our sensual experiences." Science, in the immediate, produces knowledge and, indirectly, means of action. It leads to methodical action if definite goals are set up in advance. For the function of setting up goals and passing statements of value transcends its domain. While 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 science's reach. As regards religion, on the other hand, one is generally agreed that it deals with goals and evaluations and, in general , with the emotional foundation of human thinking and acting, as far as these are not predetermined by the inalterable hered-itary disposition of the human species. Religion is concerned with man's attitude toward nature at large, with the establishing of ideals for the individual and communal life, and with mutual human relationship. These ideals religion attempts to attain by exerting an educational influence on tradition and through the development and promul-gation of certain easily accessible thoughts and narratives (epics and myths) which are apt to influence evaluation and action along the lines of the accepted ideals. When confronted with a specific case, determine clearly what is desirable and what should be eschewed, just as we find it difficult to decide what exactly it is that makes good painting or good music. It is something that may be felt intuitively more easily than rationally comprehended. Should truth, for instance be sought unconditionally even where its attainment and its accessibility to all would entail heavy sacrifices in toil and happiness? There are many such questions which, from a rational vantage point, cannot easily be answered at all yet. I do not think that the so-called "relativistic" viewpoint is correct, not even when dealing with the more moral decisions. When considering the actual living conditions of present day humanity from the standpoint of even the most elementary religious commands, one is bound to experience a feeling of deep and painful disappointment at what one sees. For while religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra. Everywhere, in economic as well as in political life, the guiding principle is one of ruthless striving for success at the expense of one's fellow men This 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 work, but as springing from personal ambition and fear of rejection. There are pessimists who hold that such a state of affairs is necessarily inherent in human nature; it is those who propound such views that are the enemies of true religion, for they imply thereby that religious teachings are utopian ideals and unsuited to afford guidance in human affairs. The study of the social patterns in certain so-called primitive cultures, however, seems to have made it sufficiently evident that such a defeatist view is wholly unwarranted. Whoever is concerned with this problem, a crucial one in the study of religion as such, is advised to read the description of the Pueblo Indians in Ruth Benedict's book, Patterns of Culture. Under the hardest living conditions, this tribe has apparently accomplished the difficul task of delivering its people from the scourge of competitive spirit and of fostering in it a temperate, cooperative conduct of life, free of external pressure and without any curtailment of happiness. The interpretation of religion, as here advanced, implies a dependence of science on the religious attitude, a relation which, in our predominantly materialistic age, is only too easily overlooked. While it is true that scientific results are entirely independent from religious or moral considerations, those individuals to whom we owe the great creative achievements of science were all of them imbued with the truly religious conviction that this universe of ours is something perfect and susceptible to the rational striving for knowledge If this conviction had not been a strongly emotional one and if those searching for knowledge had not been inspired by Spinoza's Amor Dei Intellectual is, they would hardly have been capable of that untiring devotion which alone enables man to attain his greatest achievements. Last revision: Jan 18,1999 Index Conversation on Religion and Antisemitism Search from The Private Albert Einstein by frier A. Mucky with Allen G. Weakland, Andrews and McKleel, Kansas City, 1992, pp 85-87. This book contains the record of various conversations between Mucky and Einstein over a thirty year period. BECOMING A FREE THINKER AND A SCIENTIST BUCKY: On Prayer, Purpose, and the Soul No Personal God WEANING HUMANKIND FROM THE PERSONAL It's ironic that your name has been synonymous with science in the twentieth century, and yet there has always been a lot of controversy surrounding you in relation to religious questions. How do you account for this unusual circumstance, since science and religion are usually thought to be at odds? GOD EINSTEIN: Einstein on the Mysterious THE RELIGIOUSNESS OF SCIENCE The Development of Religion SCIENCE AND RELIGION Religion and Science Irreconcilable? Well, 1 do not think that it is necessarily the case that science and religion are natural opposites. In fact, 1 think that there is a very close connection between the two. Further, I think that science without religion is lame and, conversely, that religion without science is blind Both are important and should work hand-in-hand It seems to me that whoever doesn't wonder about the truth in religion and in science might as well be dead. CONVERSATION ON BUCKY: RELIGION AND ANTISEMITISM So then, you consider yourself to be a religious man? EINSTEIN: MORALS AND EMOTIONS I believe in mystery and, frankly, 1 sometimes face this mystery with great fear. In other words, I think that there are many things in the universe that we cannot perceive or penetrate and that also we experience some of the most beautiful things in life in only a very primitive form Only in relation to these mysteries do 1 consider myself to be a religious man, but I sense these things deeply. What I cannot understand is how there could possibly be a God who would reward or punish his subjects or who could induce us to develop our will in our daily life http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/-lesikar/bucky.html CONVERSATION ON RELIGION AND ANATISEMITISM BUCKY: You don’t believe in God, then? EINSTEIN: Ah, this is what I mean about religion and science going hand-in-hand! Each has a place, but each must be relegated to its sphere. Let's assume that we are dealing with a theoretical physicist or scientist who is very well-acquainted with the different laws of the universe, such as I on how the planets orbit the, sun and how the satellites in turn orbit around their respective planets. Now, this man who has studied and understands these different laws-how could he possibly believe in one God Who would be capable of disturbing the paths of these great orbiting masses? No, the natural laws of science have not only been worked out theoretically but have been proven also in practice. I cannot then believe in this concept of an anthropomorphic God who has the powers of interfering with these natural laws. As I said before, the most beautiful and most profound religious emotion that we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. And this mysticality is the power of all true science. If there is any such concept as a God, 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 http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/-lesikar/bucky.html 11/27/98 CONVERSATION ON RELIGION AND ANATISEMITISM for this illimitable superior spirit that reveals itself in the slight details that we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. BUCKY: Do you think perhaps that most people need religion to keep them in check, so to speak? EINSTEIN: No, clearly not. 1 do not believe that a man should be restrained in his daily actions by being afraid of punishment after death or that he should do things only because in this way he will be rewarded after he dies. This does not make sense The proper guidance during the life of a man should be the weight that he puts upon ethics and the amount of consideration that he has for others. Education has a great role to play in this respect. Religion should have nothing to do with a fear of living or a fear of death, but should instead be a striving after rational knowledge. BUCKY: And yet, with all of these thoughts, you are still identi-fied strongly in the public mind as definitely Jewish and this certainly is a very traditional religion. EINSTEIN: Actually, my first religious training of any kind was in the Catholic catechism. A fluke, of course, only because the primary school that I first went to was a Catholic one. I was, as a matter of fact, the only Jewish child in the school. This actually worked to my advantage, since it made it easier for me to isolate myself from the rest of the class and find that comfort in solitude that I so cherished. BUCKY: But don't you find any discrepancy between your previous somewhat anti-religious statements and your willingness to be identified publicly as a Jew? EINSTEIN: http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/-lesikar/bucky.html 11/27/98 CONVERSATION ON RELIGION AND ANATISEMITISM Not necessarily. Actually it is a very difficult thing to even define a Jew. The closest that I can come to describing it is to ask you to visualize a snail. A snail that you see at the ocean consists of the body that is snuggled inside of the house which it always carries around with it. But let's picture what would happen if we lifted the shell off of the snail. Would we not still describe the unprotected body as a snail? In just the same way, a Jew who sheds his faith along the way, or who even picks up a different one, is still a Jew. BUCKY: You were the focus of much attack on the part of the Nazis in Germany because of your Jewishness. What explanation have you come up with for why the Jews have been hated so much throughout history? EINSTEIN: It seems obvious to me that Jews make an ideal scape- goat for any country experiencing social, economic, or political difficulties. The reason for this is twofold. First of all, there is hardly a country in the world that does not have a Jewish segment in the population. And secondly, wherever Jews reside, they are a minority of the pop- ulation, and a small minority at that, so that they are not powerful enough to defend themselves against a mass attack It is very easy for governments to divert attention from their own mistakes by blaming Jews for this or that political theory, such as communism or socialism. For instance, after the First World War, many Germans accused the Jews first of starting the war and then of losing it. This is nothing new, of course. Throughout history, Jews have been accused of all sorts of treachery, such as poisoning water wells or murdering children as religious sacrifices. Much of this can be attributed to jealousy, because, despite the fact that Jewish people have always been thinly populated in various countries, they have always had a disproportionate number of outstanding public figures. Last revision Nov 6, 1997 The photograph is the last known picture of Einstein, taken in March, 1955. The photograph was scanned from Subtle is the Lord....The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein by Abraham Pais, Clarendon Press, Oxford, and Oxford University Press, New York, 1982. http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/-lesikar/bucky.html 11/27/98 AN ANALYSIS OF ALBERT EINSTEIN’S CREATIVE THOUGHT: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION Norma C. Presmeg. Natal, South Africa. Albert Einstein’s Creative Thought Circle Diagram EINSTEINS EPISTEMOLOGY. Einstein’s theory of knowledge probably crystallized in his years at the Patent Office in berne, when the “Olympia Academy”, consisting of Einstein, Conrad, Habicht and Maurie Solovine, met joyfully to read and discuss works of the great philosophers and scientists. Einstein was influenced to a greater or lesser extent by: a) Ernst-Mach: empirical positivism “The general laws of physics are summaries of observations organized in simple forms.” Legacy for Einstein: the demand for simplicity and logical economy. b) Henri Poincare: logical positivism. “The general laws of physics are free creations of the human mind.” Legacy: openness of the mind to all possibilities. c) David Hume: logical empirical approach. “There are only two methods available for science: science, and mathematical-logical derivations.” Legacy. In physics, cause means only “regularly connected.” d) Immanuel Kant: "The general laws of science contain not only the results of experience, bat also an element provided by the human reason," Legacy: human reason "by Itself cannot yield eternally valid laws. Einstein’s epistemology may be summarized thus:--- –› the basic theoretical laws are a free creation of the imagination, –› the laws must be as few in number as possible, and logically compatible, –› the conclusions drawn must be confirmed by experience. Thus there are empirical and theoretic components in scientific knowledge, linked by the two-termed relation of correlation. This epistemology ensured the flexibility, abstraction and generality necessary for a creative human mind, which is capable of processing only a limited number of data at once. It meant that the creative human mind could soar, exploring patterns of beauty, grandeur and order in a purely theoretical, mathematical framework, with both feet planted firmly in the soil of practical, testable implication, in that this two-termed relation of correlation remained the final criterion of any theory. The value of mathematical models in physics came to Einstein slowly. He wrote that “...it was not clear to me as a student that the approach to a more profound knowledge of the basic principles of physics is tied up with the most intricate mathematical methods. This dawned upon me only gradually after years of independent scientific work." (Schlipp, 1959, P- 15.) But a certain paradox remains. In Einstein’s words: "As far as the propositions of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." (Einstein, 1921, p. 233.) SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF EINSTEN’S CREATIVE THOUGHT: The Place of Humour and Playfulness It is no new idea that there is a relation between creativity. and the attitudes of both play and humour. Getzels and Jackson found that their creative adolescents "experienced a special delight in playful intellectual activity for its own sake."(1962,p 99) The responses of their high-creative group were rich in both . . . . . . ADDENDUM - NOVEMBER 1999 Statement made to the Reading Room attendant at 5th Church, New York City, New York by Albert Einstein in reference to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Blessed art thou because everything that really is, is in this book!” Compiler’s Note: Any apparent contradictions in any of Albert Einstein’s statements herein or elsewhere should be considered chronologically and in context or with humorous intent. When asked about MATTER Einstein replied: “As to MATTER, nothing matters!” Reported by James LaFavre, Alameda Street, Sage. References for further research EINSTEIN ON SCIENCE AND RELIGION Some of Einstein’s Writings on Science and Religion “I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals Himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings.” • Albert Einstein Search These Pages • BECOME A FREETHINKER AND A SCIENTIST Einstein’s account of how he rejected conventional religion on entering his teens. • On Prayer, Purpose, and the Soul Excerpts from Einstein’s letters on futility of prayer, the lack of purpose in Nature, and on the questions of the purpose of life and the immortality of the soul. • No Personal God Excerpts from Einstein’s letters wherein he disclaims any belief in a personal God. • WEANING HUMANKIND FROM THE PERSONAL GOD Give up the idea of a personal God in favor of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself. • Einstein on the Mysterious “The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stand at the cradle of true art and true science.” • THE RELIGIOUSNESS OF SCIENCE There is a religious motive for doing science, but it does not entail a belief in a personal God. • The Development of Religion There is a common element to all religious experience, although it is seldom found in a pure form. Einstein calls it “cosmic religious feeling.” He says of such cosmic Source. http//.stcloud,msus.edu/-leskar/ESR.html 11/30/98 EINSTEIN ON SCIENCE AND RELIGION religious feeling that “it is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.” • SCIENCE AND RELIGION Einstein's definition of the proper realms of science and religion. • Religion and Science: Irreconcilable? There is no necessary conflict between science and religion if the nature of religion is properly understood. • CONVERSATION ON RELIGION AND ANTISEMITISM A conversation between Einstein and Peter A. Bucky that nicely summarizes Einstein's views on science and religion. Some Related Aspects of Einstein’s Philosophy • MORALS AND EMOTIONS Separating morality from religion • Excerpts from The World as I see it. On the meaning of life, Einstein’s world view, and good and evil. • Einstein’s “Credo” A short summary of Einstein’s approach to life. For links to more Einstein material, see Albert Einstein Online. The webmaster of this page would appreciate any feedback that you care to offer. I have put all the material that I have been able to find on the subject of Einstein’s religious views and his views on how religion and science are related. If you know of any material on this subject this is missing from this page, please advise me of it, and I will try to arrange for it to be added. Feedback to Prof, Arnold V. Lesikar, Physics Dept., St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498. lesikar@tigger.stcloudstate.edu Last revision: Nov 6, 1997 The photograph of Einstein is taken from The Private Albert Einstein by Peter A Bucky with Allen G. Weakland, Andrews a McMeel, Kansas City, 1992. http://www.stcloud.msus/-lesikar/ESR.html 11/30/98