Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology [Paperback]

Max Jammer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2002 | ISBN-10: 069110297X | ISBN-13: 978-0691102979

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Given the voluminous literature on Albert Einstein (including more than a dozen biographies in the 1990s alone), it is surprising that so little scholarly attention has been paid to the scientist's religious views. Israeli physics professor Jammer, who knew Einstein personally, shows us an Einstein whose nominal childhood faith turned to atheism while preparing for a bar mitzvah that never took place. From then on, Einstein's religious views were a bundle of apparent contradictions: he corresponded with the world's great spiritual leaders yet disapproved of religious instruction for his sons, arguing that it was "contrary to all scientific thinking." He claimed that "science without religion is lame" but never set foot in a synagogue and requested not to be buried in the Jewish tradition. While eluding definitive conclusions about Einstein's deistic "cosmic religion," Jammer demonstrates that religion fascinated the man throughout his career, prompting him to publish articles in the New York Times and elsewhere. Chapters 1 and 2 profile Einstein's religious development and the controversial reception his ideas found with theologians, rabbis and Christian clergy. The more recondite chapter 3 explores the theological implications of Einstein's theories (Jammer does not exaggerate when he cautions the reader that this section "requires some familiarity with the foundations of modern physics"). Jammer's writing is not always as sophisticated as his ideas; he relies too heavily on long quotations from other sources and abstruse jargon. In all, though, this is a compelling, long overdue treatment of a neglected topic. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

It is surprising that so little scholarly attention has been paid to [Einstein's] religious views. . . . This is a compelling, long overdue treatment of a neglected topic. (Publishers Weekly)

A valuable resource. (George L. Murphy American Scientist)

Jammer's fascinating and scholarly account of Einstein's personal attitude toward religion explores the emergence of his 'cosmic religion'. . . (Choice)

Jammer is an excellent guide to the religious impact of Einstein's life and thought. (Greg Peterson Christian Century)

A superb three-part survey that deals with the role of religion in Einstein's personal life; his philosophy of religion; and finally the effect of his physics on theology, the most brilliantly entertaining section of Jammer's book. (Meir Ronnen The Jerusalem Post)

Max Jammer illuminates Einstein's enigmatic relationship to religion with a clarity and detail that no previous study can equal. . . . Mr. Jammer's readable study should long remain an indispensable reference. . . . (John F. Haught The Washington Times)

Jammer . . . shed[s] light on Einstein's often ambiguous views of religion, beginning with his early religious training and following his evolution to the idea of an impersonal God. [He] takes pains to clarify widespread misinterpretations of Einstein's spiritual views. . . . (Leigh Fenly San Diego Union-Tribune)

I can strongly recommend this beautifully written and accessible book. (Andrew Pinsent Physics World)

One emerges from this scholarly and readable book with a new appreciation of the uniqueness of Einstein's spirit. (Gerald Holton Philosophy of Science)

Max Jammer's is the first systematic historical account of Albert Einstein's religious views. . . . In the writing of this thoroughly researched and instructive book, Max Jammer has done the theological and scientific community a great service. Furthermore, he has made a significant contribution to the ongoing dialogue between science and religion. (Rufus Burrow, Jr. Encounter)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (October 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069110297X
• ISBN-13: 978-0691102979
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 78 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars RELIGIOUS EQUATIONS October 3, 1999

By Patrick Gunkel

Format:Hardcover

To be honest, Max Jammer has written FAR more impressive books than this - his masterpieces that treat the varied interpretations of key physical concepts - but "Einstein and Religion", despite its regrettable repetitions and occasional obsessions (tokens of the contemptuous lack of editorial bother even at great publishers nowadays), is nevertheless a valuable piece of scholarship.

Einstein's positive ideas of `religion' or a `God' are intimately Spinozan; this makes them equivalent to the inexhaustible mystery of why the cosmos is evidently rational in its construction, and to the great physicist's belief that we ourselves only know the tiniest part of this rational necessity, harmony, simplicity, and profundity of Nature - a rationality that may even be infinite.

An annoyance of the book, and of Einstein's ideas (in this instance), is that so many of the words and concepts used are ultimately ambiguous. Because of this, one leaves much of the material in the form in which one found it, and many conclusions are foreclosed.

Despite these criticisms, delightful flashes of insight grace the book, of the sort that were always peculiar to Albert Einstein, and the question of the essence of religion is clarified in ways that will not be found elsewhere. Much of Einstein's genius lay in his character: his extraordinary honesty and simplicity, for example, and his intellectual self-sufficiency or independence of the opinions of others.

These qualities, as it happens, are especially helpful in any inquiry into the nature of religion, for emotion and arbitrariness have forever plagued the subject.

- Patrick Gunkel

Woods Hole, MA

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Einstein and Religion May 22, 2001

By Atheen M. Wilson TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book because the title intrigued me. Like so many people, I had assumed Einstein had been an atheist. I have to admit to little previous knowledge of the man beyond his theory of relativity and a few charming stories about his eccentricities, many probably apocryphal. This book certainly provided a nice introduction to the man as human being, intellectual, and philosopher.

One of the most impressive facets of Einstein's life made obvious in Professor Jammer's work was the impact the physicist's pronouncements, even on subjects outside of his professional expertise, had upon the public in general. It was apparent from some of his personal correspondence and from news articles in response to his papers on science and religion that the general public held the man in considerable esteem. There seemed an almost awed reverence for his intellect to the extent that his personal position on a topic as emotional and as arbitrarily individual as religion could assume an almost scientific finality, eliciting the commendations of those who agreed and an almost knee jerk response from those who disagreed. Few remained without an opinion. So potent were Einstein's mere personal, albeit well schooled, philosophical opinions that they could elicit outright attack from those who felt their cherished beliefs were under siege. A theologian as eminent as Dr. Fulton Sheen (later Bishop Sheen) attacked his position on the existence of a personal god as the "sheerest kind of stupidity and nonsense." While a private individual wrote to him suggesting he "take your crazy, fallacious theory of evolution [sic] and go back to Germany where you came from, or stop trying to break down the faith of a people who gave you a welcome......."

It becomes evident when one reads some of Jammer's biographical material on Einstein that the man's impact on the people of his day lay in his character. His honesty, simplicity, and wit, for example, lent him an approachability and charm. His intellectual independence and courage in the face of the opinions of others made him both worthy of admiration and a formidable adversary, almost impervious to criticism. (When one of the propositions arising from his theory was proven correct by experimental results, he was asked what he would have said it hadn't been. His reply was that he would feel sorry for God, because the theory was correct.)

Professor Jammer seems never to tire of repeating Einstein's dictum, "Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind," as though it could somehow make Einstein's position on the subject clearer for the reader. However, much of his supporting documentation, while interesting, leaves one with a nagging feeling that one is no closer to Einstein's sense of religion than one started. In fact one is left with the sense that for Einstein the mere sense of awe over the majesty of the universe and its workings was all the "religion" he needed. He required no formal institutions, no religious acts other than being true to his intellectual curiosity, had no missionary zeal to convert others to his position, and was without a personal need for immortality. If he was asked about the subject of religion he responded with customary honesty; if his response made the asker uncomfortable, that was their problem.

Probably the most interesting part of the book is the final chapter. Here, the subject of Einstein on religion is transposed to religion on Einstein (or at least on his theory of relativity.) Jammer's final chapter deals with some of the more amazing attempts by physicists and theologians to elucidate the existence and character of God by means of physics, in particular by means of the theory of relativity. It certainly casts in high relief the impact of the man on modern day religious thought.

The last chapter also contains philosophical and theological outgrowths of the theory of quantum physics and some of its more esoteric premises. It also looks at the theological implications of the Big Bang theory of cosmology, and mentions the books comparing Eastern religion and quantum theory that were so popular in the late 70s and early 80s (The Tao of Physics and The Dancing Wu-Li Masters among them). As a mental exercise, Jammer tries to analyze what Einstein might have thought about each of these concepts, and generally believes he would have cast a resounding "NO" vote. Read more ›

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly Description of Einstein's Religious Philosophy December 6, 2001

By Tatsuo Tabata

Format:Hardcover

In the first chapter that deals with Einstein's personal attitude toward religion, we learn the followings: Einstein regarded science and religion as mutually depending on each other, which is evidenced by his words, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." However, the predominant motivations that led him to his development of the theory of relativity were purely physical considerations. Like Spinoza, Einstein denied the existence of a personal God, and used the term "cosmic religious feeling" to describe the sublimity and marvelous order in nature.

Near the end of the first chapter, the author asks a question, "Did Einstein's conception of religion affect his scientific work?" and derives a positive answer. The story that Einstein's introduction of the cosmological constant was religiously motivated concludes the chapter.

The second chapter discusses what Einstein has written about the nature of religion and its role in human society. Einstein's "Credo" about the cosmic religious feeling is cited repeatedly. In his essay read at a conference held in 1940, Einstein called the doctrine of a personal God not only unworthy but also fatal. The author writes about many responses Einstein got in reaction to this essay. At the end of this chapter the author analyzes Spinoza's role in the development of Einstein's religious philosophy.

As can be seen from the above, topics given in the first two chapters are quite attractive, and explanations are instructive to the reader who has interest in the mental background of Einstein's academic work. The scholarly style of the author's writing is enjoyable....

However, the third and final chapter that studies the influence of Einstein's scientific work on theology was not interesting to me at all. After finishing the book, I read Introduction section of the book again. To my great relief, I found the following words of the author near its end: "It is possible that [Einstein] would have rejected all of the arguments in chapter 3 if he were alive." The reason why I was not interested in the final chapter was that my thought about religion was the same as Einstein's!

Thus I recommend the first two chapters to all those who have interest in Einstein or religion, but do not recommend the third chapter for those who think like Einstein. Read more ›