Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology

Book Description

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 groups eager to claim him as one of their own. But what exactly was Einstein's religious credo? In this fascinating book, the distinguished physicist and philosopher Max Jammer offers an unbiased and well-documented answer to this question.

The book begins with a discussion of Einstein's childhood religious education and the religious atmosphere--or its absence--among his family and friends. It then reconstructs, step by step, the intellectual development that led Einstein to the conceptions of a cosmic religion and an impersonal God, akin to "the God of Spinoza." Jammer explores Einstein's writings and lectures on religion and its role in society, and how far they have been accepted by the general public and by professional theologians like Paul Tillich or Frederick Ferré. He also analyzes the precise meaning of Einstein's famous dictum "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind," and why this statement can serve as an epitome of Einstein's philosophy of religion.

The last chapter deals with the controversial question of whether Einstein's scientific work, and in particular his theory of relativity, has theologically significant implications, a problem important for those who are interested in the relation between science and religion. Both thought-provoking and engaging, this book aims to introduce readers, without proselytizing, to Einstein's religion.

Customer Reviews:

what did he think?.......2007-01-18

By some accounts Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was the greatest theoretical physicist of the twentieth century, if not of all time. Max Jammer, Professor of Physics Emeritus and former Rector at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, has written an eminently readable account of Einstein's thoughts on religion, a subject that he insists has been ignored by the over 400 books on Einstein published in the last several decades. Einstein renounced accusations that he was an atheist, and railed against the intolerance of those whom he called "the fanatical atheists." In his three long chapters Jammer portrays Einstein as "undogmatic and yet profoundly religious."

In his first chapter Jammer treats the role of religion in Einstein's private life. Born to what he described as "entirely irreligious Jewish parents," Einstein attended a Catholic primary school where like all students he received religious instruction. From the influences of nature and music he developed pronounced religious feelings quite early, although by age twelve he became estranged from institutional religion (although not from religion as he would define it) through reading some popular scientific books. His first wife, Mileva Maric, was Greek Orthodox, and his last wishes were to be cremated rather than to be buried in any religious tradition. Einstein was decidedly irreligious in the sense that he rejected any and all institutional affiliations, never attended worship services or prayed, rejected all dogmatic theology (eg, miracles, the afterlife or prayer), did not believe that God was in any sense personal, and was a strict determinist. But he found it impossible not to think of himself as religious in the sense of humility and awe at the mystery, rationality and complexity of nature: "the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility." Behind the mystery of nature there seemed to be some superior intelligence: "I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings."

Chapter two explores what Einstein wrote about religion (he studiously avoided using the word "theology"). As a convinced determinist Einstein did not believe in human free will. He viewed science and religion as complementary rather than as antagonistic, seen in his famous aphorism that "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Science cannot determine ethics or inform us of ultimate purpose or meaning, thought Einstein, for "knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be." Science could never, then, displace or supercede religion. In his final and longest chapter, Jammer examines the possible ramifications of Einstein's theory of relativity and rejection of quantum mechanics ("God," wrote Einstein in 1926, "does not play dice.") for theological ideas like time, eternity, creation ex nihilo, and the Big Bang. Einstein himself rather disingenuously denied that there was any relationship between his physics and theology.

Well-known for his aversion to social convention and defiance of authority, Einstein used a paradox to summarize his personal beliefs and professional thoughts about religion. About a year before he died Einstein wrote in a letter that he understood himself to be a "deeply religious unbeliever." He rejected any and all notions of traditional, institutional religion, but he just as vociferously repudiated atheists who tried to claim him for their cause. Rather, he embraced something like grateful and humble Cosmic Awe at the beauty and complexity of the world he strove so mightily to understand.

Eintein and Religion: Physics and Theology.......2005-08-28

Do not be deceived by the welcoming jacket on this book. This is primarily an academic text.

The subtitle is "physics and theology" and not the other way around. This may be deliberate, because although the book actually starts with an emphasis on theology it evolves (or devolves, depending on your perspective) into a treatise on advanced physics.

Despite Jammer's sometimes ackward English and despite the fact that portions read like a master's thesis in philosophy - the book is most accessible on the theological side. The reader gets insight into the spiritual side of Einstein. Jammer shows conclusively that Einstein did believe in God and does a reasonably good job presenting the philisophical underpinnings of Einstein's beliefs.

Unless you have studied advanced quantum physics the second part of this book is very tough going.

Criticisms.......2005-04-21

I think Jammer has not done a thorough enough job on Einstein's denial of free will. I have many books on and about Einstein and I know of many instances in which he made his strict determinism clear. Here is room for improvement.

Jammer is wrong to imply that Einstein's initial belief in a static universe was the result of reading Spinoza. The fact is, many scientists at the time believed in a static universe, and probably most of them had never read Spinoza. Indeed, when Hubble showed that our universe was (and still is) expanding, the scientifc community was taken by surprise. I don't think Spinoza had anything to do with this.

Jammer has said little about the importance of Hume and Schopenhauer to Einstein's philosophical and scientific views. This is a mistake. Hume and Schopenhauer were at least as important to Einstein as Spinoza. The neglect of Schopenhauer may have something to do with the philosopher's antisemitism. But Schopenhauer remained Einstein's favorite philosopher. In his study Einstein had pictures of Newton, Maxwell, Faraday, and Schopenhauer - the sole philosopher of the lot. Einstein quoted from him often on a wide range of subjects. If Schopenhauer was an antisemite, that's because he was such a misanthrope. In fact, he disliked Germans even more (and he was one of them).

I agree that locality and determinism were two of Einstein's fundamental beliefs. Jammer reports with glee that locality has been proven wrong. So therefore determinism may also be wrong, he seems to imply. But according to John Bell, nonlocality may actually prove strict determinism to be right! (I don't believe Einstein was wrong about determinism as an objective fact, even though his interpretation of quantum mechanics may be wrong. The fact is, Heisenberg uncertainty shows up only during measurements; isolated systems are strictly deterministic. Of course, no one knows where this uncertainty comes from - hence the mystery.)

I think that on the whole this book is good. But Jammer places far too much emphasis on Einstein's "Religion without science is blind; science without religion is lame" as though this remark, probably made tongue in cheek, summarized Einstein's religious views. I doubt it. Even if it does, this by no means imply this is an unassailable truth. Steven Weinberg believes that science and religion are antagonistic, one representing knowledge, the other representing ignorance. I agree with Weinberg.

A fascinating book (with some criticisms of my own).......2005-03-24

I think Jammer does us a fine service by writing a book about a subject that is too often neglected. Not that Einstein's religious views were ever unknown, but it is surprising that this seems to be the first book devoted to this subject.

The exchanges between Einstein and Rabbi Geller are for me an important new piece of information (see pp. 85-86), as is Einstein's denial of free will in his letter to Besso (p. 87). But interestingly, Jammer neglects to mention Einstein's letter to Otto Juliusburger, who in 1946 tried to assess Hitler's responsibility for the Holocaust. Einstein's reply would not now be considered politically correct (at least in Jammer's Israel): "You take a definite stance on Hitler's responsibility... Objectively, there is after all no free will. What need is there for a criterion for responsibility?" Einstein was of course a sworn enemy of Hitler (and so should he be). But this statement is so amazing that I think Jammer was wrong to omit it. He should have quoted this statement, while emphasizing that Einstein blamed Hitler and the Germans for their evil deeds and he never forgave them. (Most of these quotes, especially if from private letters, are kept in the multi-volume "Collected Papers of Albert Einstein" published by Princeton UP and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.)

In one of the more interesting quotes in this book, Einstein believed quantum mechanics has no practically relevant impact on his deterministic view of life-events. But in this connection Jammer fails to mention how Bohr's complementarity could be applied to Einstein's determinism with satisfactory results - even though Jammer has a third of the book devoted to speculation about how science now affects philosophical and religious matters. (Despite this, there are some important Einstein quotes in this chapter as well.)

It is obvious that Einstein rejected the notion that quantum uncertainty undermines his denial of free will because he rejected quantum mechanics itself. Jammer points out that Einstein was wrong about locality, which was one of his main objections to quantum mechanics. Jammer cites Bell's theorem (p. 226) and the Aspect experiments as proving nonlocality, and claims that Einstein's belief in locality and his determinism are two basic tenets of his philosophy, as they indeed appear to be. But Jammer's implication seems to be that if Einstein got locality wrong, perhaps he was completely wrong about quantum mechanics, hence about quantum uncertainty, thus about determinism, thus about...his denial of free will? In other words, if Einstein was wrong about locality, he might have been wrong about determinism too. If Einstein was mistaken about one basic tenet of his philosophy, what makes us think he was right about the other? What Jammer fails to realize is that it was John Bell himself who said that strict determinism could well be the only way to make nonlocality compatible with all those horrible paradoxes like faster-than-light signals which contradict Special Relativity. In Bell's opinion, Einstein might have been wrong about nature being local, but strict determinism of which Einstein was always convinced might not be wrong after all. This is such an important point that I think Jammer should have discussed it, especially in Chapter 3, where he discusses his (Jammer's) own views on Einstein's philosophy.

On a more trivial note, Jammer is wrong that Einstein picked up his denial of the freedom of the will from Spinoza. The fact is, Einstein got this idea first from Schopenhauer, then from Hume, and only later from Spinoza. I was disappointed how Jammer has throughout this book neglected the importance of Schopenhauer and Hume in Einstein's philosophical and religious development. I would agree though that Einstein's "cosmic religion" came from Spinoza.

Jammer is at pains to emphasize that he doesn't proselytize or paddle any religious or sectarian viewpoints. He succeeds in this regard, in my opinion. What he does clearly try to convey, though, is the impression that religion in general and science are not in conflict, and he quotes Einstein's facetiously ambiguous statement "Science without religion is blind; religion with science is lame" (or something to this effect) to prove this point, almost ad nauseum. I'm not sure Jammer has convinced me. But Einstein's statements about religion are often ambiguous and confusing enough to provide plenty of material for someone with a secret ax to grind to quote from. On the other hand, Einstein was quite adamant and clear in (1) his determinism, (2) his denial of the immortality of the soul (which Einstein did not believe exist apart from the brain), and (3) his denial of a personal God. Jammer does a good job of faithfully reporting these views. This is not as easy a task as it seems, because (1) clearly conflicts with the deeply held beliefs of most people and the basic dogmas of Christian, Catholic, and Jewish religions; because (3) conflicts with all major religions excepting Buddhism; and because (2) conflicts with ALL religions, past and present. So I think Jammer has shown his competence here.

A "B-" effort. I hope someday someone will come up with an even better one. Right now this is the best we have.

Excellent discussion of an impersonal God.......2003-02-10

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 For Dummies (For Dummies Series)

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Covers a broad range of topics in physics
It's Delightful!
The book that convinced me that Einstein is understandable
If you're curious about Einstein and his work, start here
A beautiful discussion

Einstein For Dummies (For Dummies Series)
Carlos I. Calle
Manufacturer: For Dummies
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ASIN: 0764583484

Book Description

Genius demystified, the Dummies way!
In 1905, Albert Einstein revolutionized modern physics with his theory of relativity. He went on to become a twentieth-century icon-a man whose name and face are synonymous with "genius." Now, at last, ordinary readers can explore Einstein's life and work in this new For Dummies guide. Physicist Carlos Calle chronicles Einstein's career and explains his work-including the theories of special and general relativity-in language that anyone can understand. He shows how Einstein's discoveries affected everything from the development of the atom bomb to the theory of quantum mechanics. He sheds light on Einstein's personal life and beliefs, including his views on religion and politics. And he shows how Einstein's work continues to affect our world today, from nuclear power to space travel to artificial intelligence.

Customer Reviews:

Covers a broad range of topics in physics.......2007-08-20

An excellent book which clearly describes not only Einstein's contributions to physics, but the contributions of many other physicists who went before him like Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Maxwell, and Lorentz and who were his contemporaries like Planck and Bohr. In highlighting Einstein's contributions, he covers a wide range of topics including dynamics, electromagnetism, atomic physics, and quantum mechanics. For a more detailed description of physical concepts covering a broader range, I highly recommended his book on superstrings, etc.

It's Delightful!.......2007-07-20

Helps to stretch this old brain of mine when I thought that I was all through with learning.

The book that convinced me that Einstein is understandable.......2007-04-10

This is the book to read if you want to understand relativity but don't know mathematics. As a biologist, I read 6 chapters in one night. Dr. Calle's analogy made use of my commonsense and everyday experience to the best. From the history and philosophy of physics described in the book, I figured out what theoretical physics is and how physicists do it. I still have questions not answered by the book, but I finished the book and want another one by the same author.

I wish all the science professors have Dr. Calle's communication skills and interest in teaching.

If you're curious about Einstein and his work, start here.......2006-04-07

I found Einstein for Dummies to be interesting and informative. It was an enjoyable read, and quickly got me up to speed on Albert Einstein and his extraordinary life's work. At $13, it is priced right, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about Einstein.

A beautiful discussion.......2006-03-03

It is the best of the many books that I have read that present Einstein's work in a simplified fashion. The personal data about Einstein is interesting also.

Average customer rating:

A great intro...
Intro to Judaism: A Source Book

Introduction to Judaism: A Source Book
Lias A. Edwards
Manufacturer: Urj Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 080740649X

Customer Reviews:

A great intro..........2007-05-22

This book was the "textbook" and general reference in my Introduction to Judaism class. It is a fast and easy read. It's a book that I go back to again and again when I have questions.

Intro to Judaism: A Source Book.......2002-06-26

This book is full of pearls of wisdom, as well as information that clears up lots of misunderstandings. My husband and I took the Intro class as well with Rabbi Einstein, and of the various texts we studied, this one was a great information source not only for the class, but after whenever questions arise around the various traditions/holidays.

Amazon.com

The parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism are no longer mere esoteric musings, and nowhere is that concept shown better than in Thomas McFarlane's Einstein and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings. As in other titles in the Parallel Sayings series, the author cuts and pastes sayings from one thinker or school of thought and matches them to resonant sayings from another wholly different tradition--to astonishing effect. The correspondences between modern physics and Buddhism (and Taoism, which McFarlane also includes) are attested to by the physicists themselves. In his preface, McFarlane, who has degrees in physics as well as philosophy and religion, identifies the major parallels as "the wholeness of all things, the description of reality through paradox, [and] the relationship between the observer and the observed." Only occasionally succumbing to pitfalls that crop up in other books in the series, such as focusing on translated terms rather than concepts or keying on narrow passages rather than fully contextualized views, McFarlane uncovers both the science of Buddhism and the mysticism of physics. --Brian Bruya

Book Description

Einstein and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings shows how modern scientific and ancient Eastern thought reveal the same truths. These parallels touch on the essential nature of energy and matter, the relationship between subject and object, and the limits of language in understanding and describing reality. Science has many times been called the “new religion.” Focusing on the importance of science and religion in modern society, Einstein and Buddha shows how the future of humankind may well depend upon the relationship between the two. Provocative, stimulating, and insightful throughout, the book communicates the deep common ground of scientific and spiritual truth between Western thought and Eastern religion.

Customer Reviews:

Quantum soup for the soul.......2005-06-27

I finished this delightful book this morning and went for a walk. My mind played over the objects in my life and my perceptions of them--shoe on sidewalk, air on skin, and even the sound waves bringing the blaring rap music to my ears from a teenager driving by. All these objects have qualities and values that my western mind assigns to them: the warm comfort when the heat of the sidewalk rises through the sole of my shoe to my foot, the pleasant coolness of the air on my skin, and the obnoxious assault on my ears from 110 decibels of mobile audio. But, at the quantum level, all is the same and indistinguishable, just as proclaimed by Buddha.

By juxtaposing quotations from quantum physicists and Buddhist scholars, Thomas McFarlane shows us how prescient the eastern religions were, and how relevant they are for our quantum world. This is a truly wonderful, thought-provoking little book.

Such a significant book.......2003-06-03

If Hafiz incarnated and started throwing parties in New York and LA, and if the impossible were to happen at one of his wild bashes -- if one were to start to feel bored -- he might start reading from this wonderful book.

Who knows... maybe Einstein and the Buddha will slip into a few dreams of those squatting in the White House and boost their IQ's substantially -- which could then well result in making this book (and maybe a few Hafiz poems) mandatory reading before military service or even a mere drivers license was bestowed. And maybe everyone would be required to carry this book in their golf carts -- and if one forgot it (for even one hole) helicopters might swoop in and administer breath tests that were so sensitive that alarms would go off if you were a religious bigot, that is if you were anti-Einstein.

I better quit this review; the FBI might hound me, and
water-torture me into a Republican.

Daniel Ladinsky
Best-selling Penguin author of The Gift: Poems by Hafiz

Brilliant collection! Mr. McFarlane, just one suggestion:.......2003-04-11

In your book, would it be better to use "spiritual leaders", "religious figures", or even "eastern philosophers" rather than "mystics"?

Nonetheless, what a wonderful work to remove the superstitious impression on eastern religions of people who narrow-mindedly believe in science. Thank you so much!

Some additional information about the book, by its Editor.......2001-12-10

The over 120 parallels, each matching a modern physicist and an Eastern mystic, are a collection of startling clues that hint at a deeper relationship between science and religion. Statements by Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, and other founders of modern physics are paired with remarkably similar statements by Buddha, Shankara, Chuang Tzu, and other Eastern mystics. This book shows you the surprising parallel statements of the physicists and mystics, grouped into a variety of themes, and lets you ponder their significance for yourself. What do they suggest to you about the relationship between the scientific and spiritual approaches to understanding reality? Regardless of whether or not you think the parallels indicate a profound unity behind physical and spiritual aspects of reality, these sayings should raise important questions and stimulate deeper insight into the mysterious relationship between science and religion.

Einstein's God: Albert Einstein's Quest As a Scientist and As a Jew to Replace a Forsaken God

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A Beautiful and Enlightening Book

Einstein's God: Albert Einstein's Quest As a Scientist and As a Jew to Replace a Forsaken God
Robert N. Goldman , and Albert Einstein
Manufacturer: Jason Aronson
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A Beautiful and Enlightening Book.......2006-05-05

Albert Einstein has become almost a symbol for the concept of human intelligence. But what I admire most about Einstein wasn't so much his intelligence but his wisdom. In Einstein's God, Robert Goldman displays that wisdom in a manner that those of us of lesser intelligence can understand.

Einstein's God is nothing less than the God of Spinoza, the 17th century Dutch Jew who was excommunicated by the Amsterdam rabbinate for his heretical views. Goldman fully acknowledges Einstein's love of, and indebtedness to, Spinoza. But Goldman also explains how Einstein was able to extend Spinoza's concepts through his own theory of relativity, which unifies the notions of "space" and "time" into a single "spacetime" continuum. Readers with an interest in exploring the concept of immortality should find Goldman's discussion fascinating on that point.

I was saddened to see that nine years after this wonderful little book was published, nobody had reviewed it on Amazon.com. I can only blame that on the reality that Einstein's spirituality has failed to capture the public's imagination. What a shame. In an era where people become best selling authors by claiming to have "conversations" with God, we are neglecting our true geniuses who pursued God with the greatest of humility.

Descartes taught us that since we think, we must exist. But Einstein taught us that since we can contemplate the ultimate, the eternal, the infinite -- and since our own thoughts will never even approach that standard -- who are we to doubt its existence? And who are we to say that the word "God" shouldn't be used to describe such ultimacy?

Indeed, maybe the modern scientist doesn't "need" God. But no lesser a scientist than Einstein realized that we might still "want" God just the same.

God in the Equation : How Einstein Became the Prophet of the New Religious Era

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What Does the Fat Lady Sing? (Or when?)
Wow! A real mind-opener.
A Distorted View of History
a provocative mix of science and philosophy
Reads like a colege student's homework

God in the Equation : How Einstein Became the Prophet of the New Religious Era
Corey Powell
Manufacturer: Free Press
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ASIN: 0684863480

Book Description

We are living at a turning point in human spirituality -- akin to when Jesus or Buddha or Mohammed was alive -- and Einstein is its prophet. That is the audacious, provocative, and fascinating argument Corey Powell makes with dazzling eloquence in this extraordinary book. Powell dubs the new faith "sci/religion" and unmasks today's famous battle between science and religion as no more than a myth.

Religion has always been where humanity looked to resolve the big issues -- be they everyday ones about morality or the overarching questions of the universe. Just a few decades ago, Pope Pius XII described the period explained by the scientific theory of the big bang as "the epoch when the cosmos came forth from the Hands of the Creator." Astronomers essentially agreed. This signified a very new relationship between scientists and priests. Indeed, Powell shows how science has completely taken over from theology in answering the overarching questions of the universe. Morality is a secular matter now determined by conversation rather than religious edict. Therefore, Powell contends, sci/religion is the only fully functioning religion now in operation.

For the first time, Powell identifies Einstein as the prophet of this religious revolution. When the most popular genius of the century said "God does not play dice," he wasn't merely being cute, he was creating a new kind of religion. Einstein called God The Old One, and, as Powell shows, he put The Old One into his equations describing his theory of relativity and so bound together two spheres of human thought, the spiritual and the scientific, in a way that had never previously been accomplished. The symbol in the relativity equations that stands for God is Lambda. It is also called the cosmological constant. It was also called Einstein's biggest blunder for a little while. Powell tells the story of how this controversial factor got into the equations, how it was accepted by the scientific community, then rejected, and then accepted again. Recent reports about how the universe is accelerating in its expansion are all based on this same factor, God in the equation.

Einstein and his followers' use of the God factor in science has never before been recognized for what it is. In a tour de force Powell has forever identified it as clear evidence of an entirely new gnostic era, a new step in the history of human spirituality.

Customer Reviews:

What Does the Fat Lady Sing? (Or when?).......2006-08-31

Corey S Powell has written an excellent popular account of a major scientific discovery.

One that if confirmed promises to open up new vistas of investigation and deepen our theoretical understanding of the universe.

To properly tell his story, Powell first backs up a little, and sketches a brief account of the history of observational astronomy and its interplay with theoretical physics - the celestial mechanics of Newton. He then moves forward to the genesis of a new cosmology.

Some readers may be put off by the title. or, more specifically, take issue with the author for introducing "God" into what should be a scientific discussion.

I admit that at times I found Powell's "sci/rel" trope occasionally cloying; e.g., his description of Cecelia Payne-Goposchkin as a "sort of Mary Magdalene in the shadows of the sci/religious miracles" of two cosmological advances affecting first Arthur Eddington, then, later Harlow Shapley (p119).

Nonetheless, I feel that Powell has endeavored to heal a kind of psycho-linguistic breach in our language - and consciousness.

Cosmology had fractured into (a) scientific cosmo-genesis, and into a religious nullity.

The latter having perhaps mythological or "poetic" significance, but otherwise empty of scientific content.

Even if the premises upon which the book is based - the interpretation of the Mauna Kea data, introduced at the start of the book - are shown to be erroneous, the idea of creation - and, our place in it - re-emerges in Powell's book from the obscurity of a secularism that occasionally over-reaches.

The main burden of the text is to lay out the science behind the work of principally two teams of scientific collaborators studying Type Ia supernovae.

The significance of their work was announced in Science's "Biggest Breakthroughs of 1998"
(18 Dec issue).

Powell's careful preparation gently leads the reader to a heightened understanding of the theoretical issues involved. In so doing, he neither tarries too long, nor plunges heedlessly ahead of the lay reader.

One wishes that the author had provided a "further reading" reference to magnetic monopoles directed to a general audience (something along the lines of Scientifc American Frontiers).

Also Powell misconstrues the force of the weak anthropic principle. The latter serves as a simplifying assumption. In that sense it may serve to guide research. It is a crude heuristic - a tool.

Even in its strong "participatory" form it does not (indeed, cannot) "brush aside the flatness problem, the horizon problem, and [questions about] the origin of structure in the universe," as the author suggests on p.193.

Just before picking up "God In the Equation" I happened to read de Santillanna's Crime of Galileo.

Powell alludes briefly to Pius XII's somewhat embarrassing sally into the sci/religious controversy.

When, November 1951, the Pope burbled about the Big Bang, he trespassed onto the reservation of 1893, which officially validated Galileo's assertion that it would be impious to suppose that God
"may have laid pitfalls for men by establishing contradictory [scientific and religious] truths."

Is Mr. Powell himself likewise guilty of trespassing - in this case, onto the religious reservation -
when he talks about the Church of Einstein?

This begs a question: Is knowing the universe the same as knowing God?

Note that this is distinct from the matter of faith.

We take on faith the veracity of "things unseen."

But it is also faith that sees the creation (as it is; as "given") as at once exemplar and indicative
of divinity.

As sublime.

Powell strays perilously close to religious revisionism.
(A revisionism without apologetics, however.)

The author seems to exhibit a mixed mind.
And it may be that this ought not be condemned.

I found myself moved when he wrote about the "spiritual power of Einstein's equations."

And untroubled.

Wow! A real mind-opener........2004-04-30

I can't recall ever reading another book quite
like this one. Most of the books about science and
religion I've seen fall into one of two categories.
They either try to make the case that scientists are
secretly religious people, or else they try to argue
that science leaves no room for faith. Powell takes
the discussion in a very different, more subtle
direction, one that reminds me of some of Daniel
Dennett's ideas. In essence, Powell argues that
spirituality is an integral component of the way
humans process information about the world--even if
the people doing the processing are cosmologists who
openly describe themselves as atheists. That
perspective puts a whole new spin on Albert Einstein's often-puzzling use of the word "God" as something interchangeable with the laws of physics. It also explains why, in his later years, Einstein was so committed to the idea of a cosmic religion.

Alas, Einstein was an idealist and I'm afraid Powell
may be too. His dream that science can reform religion
of its more destructive impulses looks just like
that--a dream. Religion seems to be doing just fine in
the Middle East, not to mention in Mel Gibson's bank
account. But Powell's analysis of how the scientific
process works is both original and eye-opening. I also
really enjoyed his sweeping history of cosmology, full
of clear explanations and surprising details. The
section on the early history of the big bang, in
particular, covers territory that I've never head
about before. (The father of the big bang was an
obscure Russian meteorologist--who knew?) This book
does an amazing job explaining what we know about the
universe and how we know it. If it also helps advance Einstein's pacifist agenda, so much the better. Truly inspirational.

A Distorted View of History.......2003-09-13

With his invention of sci/religion, Powell appears to have abandoned historical reality for a mystical journey of misinterpretation of relativity and the reason Einstein originally thought it necessary to invent the cosmological constant. In my judgement, this book is neither good physics, accurate reporting nor good writing.

a provocative mix of science and philosophy.......2003-01-24

It's hard to get much bigger than the themes in this
book: how did the universe begin, how will it end, and
is there any way to find spiritual satisfaction
through science? Amazingly, this writer pulls it off.
The first part of the book covers historical ideas
about the universe, bringing people like Galileo and
Newton to life as complex, passionate thinkers. The
later chapters get into modern cosmology, covering the
big bang and some of the current far-out ideas about
"dark energy" and other universes.

Reads like a colege student's homework.......2003-01-13

I hold a degree in physics and am currently in the process to become a priest so I read this book with great interest. I was not impressed with Powell's writing. I was put off by the numerous instances of exaggeration and projecting unknown personal motivations on historical characters. Powell's argument flowed like papers I wrote in high school and college with gross shading of facts and very little honest apprasial of opposing viewpoints. I also had a hard time accepting the cumbersome sci/religion as a real word. I hope it never catches on. There are much better texts on the thrilling topic of science and religion than God in the Equation.

Judaism, Physics And God: Searching For Sacred Metaphors In A Post-Einstein World

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Judaism, Physics and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World
Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader
Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader
finding words
Will be referenced a thousand years from now

Judaism, Physics And God: Searching For Sacred Metaphors In A Post-Einstein World
Rabbi David W. Nelson
Manufacturer: Jewish Lights Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1580232523

Book Description

Hear the Voices of Ancient Wisdom in the Modern Language of Science

Ancient traditions, whose only claim to authenticity is that they are old, run the risk of becoming old-fashioned. But if an ancient tradition can claim to be not only ancient but also timeless and contemporary, it has a far greater chance of convincing each new, young generation of its value. Such a claim requires that each generation's retelling use the new metaphors of the new generation. —from Chapter 1

In our era, we often feel that we can either speak about God or think scientifically about the world, but never both at the same time. But what if we reconciled the two? How could the basic scientific truths of how the natural world came to be shape our understanding of our own spiritual search for meaning?

In this provocative fusion of religion and science, Rabbi David Nelson examines the great theories of modern physics to find new ways for contemporary people to express their spiritual beliefs and thoughts. Nelson explores cosmology, quantum mechanics, chaos theory, relativity, and string theory in clear, non-technical terms and recasts the traditional views of our ancestors in language that can be understood in a world in which space flight, atom-smashing, and black holes are common features of our metaphorical landscape.

Judaism, Physics and God reframes Judaism so that it is in harmony with the conquests of modern scientific thinking, and introduces fascinating new ways to understand your relationship with God in context of some of the most exciting scientific ideas of the contemporary world.

Customer Reviews:

Judaism, Physics and God: Searching for Sacred Metaphors in a Post-Einstein World.......2005-08-10

This book ranks in the top five books I have ever read! The author has taken the most complex ideas and theories and made them understandable to me. I have no science background, but I could understand what he said. For the first time in my life, I had an idea of what Einstein's theory of relativity is all about. I will refer over and over again to this book. It is one of the best I have read on such complex things.

Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader.......2005-06-06

Judaism, Physics And God: Searching For Sacred Metaphors In A Post-Ein-stein World strives to answer the question, "If we can't see it or prove it, how can we believe it?" Leading the reader on a journey through both the ideas of modern physics and the ancient teachings of rabbinic text, Judaism, Physics and God stresses that faith and scientific insight do not need to be mutually exclusive. Chapters explore cosmology and creation, quantum mechanics, Albert Enstein's theories of special relativity, general relativity and Jewish meaning, string theory, and integrating new metaphors and scientific awareness into traditional Jewish life. As meticulous in its research of sacred Judaic texts and philosophy as it is of modern physics, yet presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader striving to better understand complex concepts, Judaism, Physics And God is a welcome addition to religious debate and studies shelves. Highly recommended.

Presented to be as accessible as possible to the lay reader.......2005-06-06

finding words.......2005-04-30

Judaism Physics and God
Searching for sacred metaphors in a post Einstein World

A shema:
"THE LORD OUR GOD; THE LORD IS A SINGULARITY." (Not one;-in fact God is the big bang.)

Well worth the read. Rabbi Nelson has a very user friendly style of writing. He is able to link traditional Jewish words and motifs with today's language (scientific mindsets) of atoms and particles. Rabbi Nelson has built a very strong bridge to show where there is linkage through the passionate creative use of language-metaphors. He has also taken it one step further to give texture and depth to everyday acts. By assuming all things began at the big bang; then knowing/thinking that we all began as star dust embodies everything with holiness.

Nelson also lays out the dark side/ challenges of new scientific insights. If nothing is knowable for certain, as quantum physics states, then an all knowing God becomes an open question. Maybe the really difficult answer is that God is not all knowing. The implication of that insight for man-God relations is hard.

My only regret about the book is that the books' section on String Theory. Nelson's continued efforts at finding metaphors that reconcile our traditional language and science limit him. I would have been interested in Rabbi Nelson working with String Theory as a new challenge to both cosmology and Judaism. The harmonics of String theory and the transcendent nature of God would have been an interesting discussion.

In his next book (using the quality of this book and predictability theory) I hope Rabbi Nelson is able to address the connection between modern neurological, bio-chemistry and God in a unified religious theory......

Will be referenced a thousand years from now.......2005-04-18

This is one of the most interesting and important books on Religion and philosophy that has been published since Einstein had to reconcile his discoveries with his beliefs.

Much of Judaism (and., by extension, Christianity) operates through the use of metaphors to bring us closer to God. God is described as a Shepard, as a King, as our Father, as our Rock, and as Light, just as a few examples. By definition, a metaphor illuminates but does not fully describe-- any of us can think of what aspects of a father we would ascribe to God, and what aspects of a father (growing old and dying) we would not ascribe to God.

At one level, Rabbi Nelson in this book asks what metaphors from physics- specifically post-Newtonian physics-- can we use to illuminate G-d? His metaphors are fascinating: to cite one example, he asks us to consider God as the Light. God is often described as "Light" in prayers. God is also described as timeless-- a thousand years is but an instant to God according to the Rabbis. Well, physics happens to describe Light as timeless as well- photons from the big bang haven't aged at all in the 15 or so billion years of it's existence.

That's the first level of the book, and by itself it is very fascinating. God as the Big Bang, God as Light, God as shaped like multi-dimensional manifolds used in string-theory. Rabbi Nelson is very careful to explain the physics at a very approachable and enjoyable level, perhaps he succeeds so well because like most of us he does not have an advanced science degree. Yet there is a deeper level to this book as well: for Judaism, indeed for Western religion to remain relevant, it has to confront and grow along with our growing understanding of reality. This is the fundamental challenge that has been presented to Religion since the dawn of the Age of Reason. Rabbi Nelson takes on the challenge --- not by attempting to prove or disprove the existence of God, but by attempting to understand God through our growing knowledge of the universe.

You do not have to agree with Rabbi Nelson's personal beliefs to learn from this book-- there's plenty here for everyone from the confirmed atheist to the most Orthodox believer. Furthermore, he sets up a framework that can--and most likely will--be used by others for generations to come. I fully believe that this book will be referenced generations from now, if not beyond.

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Reader Friendly Guide into Judaism
An Excellent Introduction to Judaism
Good Reference for a quick answer
It was very interesting.

Every Person's Guide to Judaism
Stephen J. Einstein , and Lydia Kukoff
Manufacturer: Jason Aronson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0876686900

Book Description

Provides a straightforward introduction to the diversity of Judaism. Explains the wide range of customs and cerermonies. Goes beyond simple descriptions to show the deep connection between Jewish theology and daily living.

Customer Reviews:

Reader Friendly Guide into Judaism.......2006-12-29

If you are a Christian or anybody else that wants to know more about Judaism, then this book is for you. The authors lay out the calendar, then an explanation of each feast and how it is celebrated. The information if for celebrating in the home, but it also goes over what you would see at a synagogue celebration and why it is done that way. There is a chapter on how to convert to Judaism, but the book is not designed to convince anyone to join, but simply to state how, just in case that is why you brought the book. The book briefly goes over Judaism's view of God, but has a bibliography so that someone could acquire other books if the desire was to go deeper. The main emphasis of the book is on how to create the Jewish spirit or atmosphere in ones home. Another interesting chapter of the book deals with the diffences and similarities between Orthodox, reform, conservative, and reconstructionist Jews. There is a great glossary of terms at the back of the book, but all terms are defined in the book as you go. The chapters are short and reader friendly. If you are looking for a good brief overview, this will definately serve that purpose.

An Excellent Introduction to Judaism.......2004-06-03

This book truly is Every Person's Guide to Judaism. It was well thought out, easy to understand and set out nicely too. The text was just the right size and was seperated just well enough to make it easy to read. If you had a particular question in mind, you could easily skip to that section but you can just as easily read it from front to back, which is what I did.

This book is a must for anyone interested in the basics of Judaism from it's major holidays, to what the Torah and Midrash are, to Judaic views on Adoption, Birth Control, Abortion and other ideas. It talks about thye Mezuzah, Jewish Dietary Laws, Traditions, Rituals, Converting, Zionism, The Holocaust and the different Modern movements. (Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist. With a through glossary and all words that are in the glossary in italics through out the text, this is a worthwhile book to read or even purchase.

Good Reference for a quick answer.......1998-03-20

This book provides a concise review of the Judaism. The book is well laid out to find answers to questions. Sometimes a little more depth would be nice, but the book would then be too big. I used it for gifts to friends interested in Judaism.

It was very interesting........1997-12-12

I had to do a report about Judaism, and I looked up this book in the library. It gave me a lot of interesting information on this topic. It helped me a lot, thanks!

Einstein on Politics: His Private Thoughts and Public Stands on Nationalism, Zionism, War, Peace, and the Bomb

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Einstein on Politics: His Private Thoughts and Public Stands on Nationalism, Zionism, War, Peace, and the Bomb

Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691120943

Book Description

The most famous scientist of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein was also one of the century's most outspoken political activists. Deeply engaged with the events of his tumultuous times, from the two world wars and the Holocaust, to the atomic bomb and the Cold War, to the effort to establish a Jewish homeland, Einstein was a remarkably prolific political writer, someone who took courageous and often unpopular stands against nationalism, militarism, anti-Semitism, racism, and McCarthyism. In Einstein on Politics, leading Einstein scholars David Rowe and Robert Schulmann gather Einstein's most important public and private political writings and put them into historical context. The book reveals a little-known Einstein--not the ineffectual and naïve idealist of popular imagination, but a principled, shrewd pragmatist whose stands on political issues reflected the depth of his humanity.

Nothing encapsulates Einstein's profound involvement in twentieth-century politics like the atomic bomb. Here we read the former militant pacifist's 1939 letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt warning that Germany might try to develop an atomic bomb. But the book also documents how Einstein tried to explain this action to Japanese pacifists after the United States used atomic weapons to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki, events that spurred Einstein to call for international control of nuclear technology.

A vivid firsthand view of how one of the twentieth century's greatest minds responded to the greatest political challenges of his day, Einstein on Politics will forever change our picture of Einstein's public activism and private motivations.

ON PACIFISM

"When those who are bound together by pacifist ideals hold a meeting they are always consorting with their own kind only. They are like sheep huddled together while the wolves wait outside. I think pacifist speakers have this difficulty: they usually reach their own crowd, who are pacifists already. The sheep's voice does not get beyond this circle and therefore is ineffective. . . . Real pacifists, those who are not up in the clouds but who think and count realities, must fearlessly try to do things of practical value to the cause and not merely speak about pacifism. Deeds are needed. Mere words do not get pacifists anywhere."--Two Percent Speech, New York, 1930

ON HITLER

"Hitler appeared, a man with limited intellectual abilities and unfit for any useful work, bursting with envy and bitterness against all whom circumstance and nature had favored over him. Springing from the lower middle class, he had just enough class conceit to hate even the working class which was struggling for greater equality in living standards. But it was the culture and education which had been denied him forever that he hated most of all. In his desperate ambition for power he discovered that his speeches, confused and pervaded with hate as they were, received wild acclaim by those whose situa-tion and orientation resembled his own. He picked up this human flotsam on the streets and in the taverns and organized them around himself. This is the way he launched his political career."--On Hitler, 1935

ON ZIONISM

"Just one more personal word on the question of partition. I should much rath-er see reasonable agreement with the Arabs on the basis of living together in peace than the creation of a Jewish state. Apart from practical consideration, my awareness of the essential nature of Judaism resists the idea of a Jewish state with borders, an army, and a measure of temporal power no matter how modest. I am afraid of the inner damage Judaism will sustain--especially from the development of a narrow nationalism within our own ranks, against which we have already had to fight strongly, even without a Jewish state."-- Our Debt to Zionism, 1938

ON MILITARISM

"I must frankly confess that the foreign policy of the United States since the termination of hostilities has reminded me, sometimes irresistibly, of the attitude of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II. . . . It is characteristic of the military mentality that non-human factors (atom bombs, strategic bases, weapons of all sorts, the possession of raw materials, etc.) are held essential, while the human being, his desires and thought--in short, the psychological factors--are considered as unimportant and secondary. . . . The general inse-curity that goes hand in hand with this results in the sacrifice of the citizen's civil rights to the supposed welfare of the state. Political witch-hunting, controls of all sorts (e.g., control of teaching and research, of the press, and so forth) appear inevitable, and for this reason do not encounter that popular resistance, which, were it not for the military mentality, would provide a protection."--The Military Mentality, 1947

From Elephants to Einstein...: Answers to Questions : Ten Discussions With Workers at the Goetheanum in Dornach Between 7 January and 27 February 1924 (Answers to Questions)

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Elephants to Einstein oh my!

From Elephants to Einstein...: Answers to Questions : Ten Discussions With Workers at the Goetheanum in Dornach Between 7 January and 27 February 1924 (Answers to Questions)
Rudolf Steiner
Manufacturer: Rudolf Steiner Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1855840812

Customer Reviews:

Elephants to Einstein oh my!.......2007-03-01

Well....From Elephants to Einstein...: Answers to Questions : Ten Discussions With Workers at the Goetheanum in Dornach Between 7 January and 27 February 1924 he's done it again! Everytime I read one of Rudolf's books, I am awakened even more. Rudolf has a way with words in this entire series. He offers compelling answers to hard to answer questions. I love a man that gets me thinking and using my imagination! Rudolf was a visionary before his time. I highly recommend this book if you are an answer seeker. Everything you ever wanted to know that was far out from Elephants to Einstein rests inside these glorious pages.

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