Would you buy a letter allegedly written by Albert Einstein within a year prior to his death in which he claimed:
the word of God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish...For me, the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions.
Well, according to Richard Caton of the Bloomsbury Auction House in London, they have this letter - and it's estimated to bring in between $12,000 and $16,000 dollars.
Of course, anyone who has ever done any reading on Albert Einstein knows that throughout his life he made some pretty controversial claims regarding his views on religion. And they tended to go back and forth slightly. His earlier years were spent as devoutly Jewish, followed up in his later years by questioning conventional religions. This has led to a debate for decades as to whether or not he was, in fact, spiritual or if he was merely a complete rationalist.
Are you buying it? I'm not.
While many of Albert Einstein's sayings (of which you can find dozens of compilations of some of his most famous quotes) at most give vague reference to God - leaving it up to the audience to interpret beliefs. But never did he deny the existence of any god. In fact, many historians (and other social scientists) believe quite the opposite - that Einstein used his knowledge and faith in God to help further and strengthen his studies:
"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Science, Philosophy and Religion: a Symposium (1941) ch. 13
According to John Brooke (Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University) Einstein was, undoubtedly, not your traditional theist - but was not atheist.
And another note that really bothers me about this alleged letter, no detail is given in the article regarding how it was authenticated. Caton claims that he is "100% certain of its authenticity" but no mention was made of how e has determined that. Isn't that something that people would want to know if they are going to give this item any credibility at all? Or, worse, before they spend thousands of dollars on it?
So what does this letter actually do? I mean, other than raise some $12,000-$16,000 for an Auction House? I'm sure for some they will use it as a "look who else was on my side" type of game. I can already see the arguments forming.
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This idea is ridiculous. First I wouldn't believe it was written by Einstein, and second I wouldn't necessarily believe what it says. I commend you for doing the work to find out facts behind the letter and what Einstein probably though, job well done.
Just like anyone else he has an opinion. Just because he was big doesn't mean they should waste money on trying to figure it out. I honestly don't believe Einstein wrote the letter either. I love how we waste money on the stupidest things...
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
Love comments? I do too!
(1) The letter sold for $404,000. Quite a bit more than it was expected to.
(2) Einstein HAS denied the existence of gods in the past. Here are some quotes that come from something other than this letter:
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.
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms
It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere.... Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.
That certainly seems to be denying the existence of a traditional Judeo-Christian God.
(3) As a youth Einstein was NOT particularly religious. It was not until the 1930's with Hitler's persecution of the Jews that he really began to relate to his Jewish heritage. And he did that culturally not religiously.
(4) I wouldn't call Einstein an atheist either. I would call him a deist. He saw a universe that had a natural order to it and he thought that order was instilled by an intelligence. BUT he didn't think that intelligence interfered with the natural workings of the universe in any way.
I have often said that is the only god that science cannot rule out in principle. But I also have said that such a god is meaningless as to a person's personal life
When Einstein referred to God in his writings and speeches it was always in regard to the underlying order of the universe ... hence his statement of protest against quantum mechanics ... "God does not play dice". It is this wonder at the sense of order in the universe that was the source of Einstein's spiritual comments.
What he meant by "Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind" remark is that scientists need to have that sense of wonder in order to fully study natural phenomena; and religion needs to be grounded in the realities of nature for it to do any good.
I think Einstein was a great man. But I am not in awe of his religious sentiments even though they are closer to mine than they are to most Christians who try to claim him as an example of a religious scientist.
(5) Finally, I have not yet come across anyone or any website that questions the authenticity of the letter you refer to. I also think that the wording in the letter is consistent with what Einstein had said in the past. Certainly someone had enough confidence in its authenticity to invest $404,000 in it. None of that ensures its authenticity, but I wonder why it is that you question it.
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If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. - Anatole France
It's just in my nature, I guess. I question everything; my biggest concern was the fact that, as per the article I posted, the only person to validate the letter was the spokesperson for the auction house. It might be different if they listed his credentials or something that told me how he knew, or what made him so sure. But for all I know - he just has a nice smile and can speak well in public.
I suppose it doesn't really matter, since I didn't fork over the $404,000 to buy the letter...but just the thought bugs me, LOL.
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"when you have nothing else to say, "Fwonk" is always the perfect thing."
"yeah well, fwonk"
--Devon
Fanaile Essence
It would have to be authenticated in some way in order for me to believe it.
This actually reminds me of an auction I attended where a violin bow--just the bow mind you, not even including the violin--went up to approximately $9000 based on some signature on the thing.
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This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
If it's a letter, it could have just been a rant he wrote during a tough time in his life. You'd be amazed the number of conflicting things a person can write throughout their life. I still contradict myself based on my mood.....