Einstein

Year of the long book, #2. I kept this on the back burner for a month or two because I lost interest after a few chapters. That’s not because the book wasn’t interesting, but because more pressing commitments nudged me to read other topics. It was only last month that I got back to this with a newfound interest. I’m a fan of Walter Isaacson’s writing, he has a way of writing about topics he might not have a strong hold of. For instance, he was able to explain the different theories and various technical discussions strewn throughout the book. I recently read a rebuttal on authors who write biographies who don’t have any credentials in the subject’s domain, and if I recall correctly, the argument was about Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo da Vinci, and the criticism was that Isaacson isn’t a painter so he can’t write about one. I respectfully disagree with this notion not least because a person isn’t just their work. Case in point, this book is as much about Einstein’s life, his relationships, and his ideologies as it is about his achievements in physics.

Einstein’s nonconformism played a role in him developing some of the most important theories in Physics. He wasn’t afraid to question Newtonian notions that were fundamental truths to Physicists of his time. His theory of relativity, general theory of relativity, special theory of relativity, and to some extent, his efforts to find a unified field theory, all stem from his defiance of conventional concepts to come up with new ones. However, he himself noted that he succumbed to this same conventional thinking later on in his life. What was more interesting to me was his career and life trajectory. Even after publishing such great theories somewhat early on in his academic career, he struggled to secure a job or an academic position for a long while. His strained relationship with his family, especially with his wife and kids was not particularly helpful either.

But there was partial relief once he attained fame shortly before leaving for the US, to escape the Nazis. Einstein’s Thoreauvian lifestyle helped him be creative when he desired. He would aimlessly sail on a boat and scribble equations or wander around his Princeton neighborhood thinking of the latest problem he was working on. He publicly endorsed the idea of solitude and the idea of the monotony of a quiet life. His approach to religion was quite fresh for that era too, he didn’t consider himself an atheist, even though he would mention “dissident” in official forms as his religion. It was unconvincing for him to think that nature, as it was, with all its laws and precision and certainty, could be random. He believed in Spinoza’s god, one who didn’t interact with man, he was a deist. And as I’ve noted in the past, It’s always amusing to me when I read that some of the most well-known personalities were in touch with each other. Personalities such as Marie Curie, Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, Planck, Churchill, Franz Kafka, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, and many more have corresponded closely with Einstein in one form or another. There are many other interesting details I could share from my notes but I’ll refrain from doing so in the interest of brevity.

One reason I like reading [auto]biographies is to understand how people lived their lives, and this one by Walter Isaacson delivers just that. It’s an excellent biography that paints a picture of who Einstein was—his life, his work, and his endless struggles. It wasn’t all rosy, and that’s okay.

…nationalism is an infantile disease, the measles of mankind.