A: Why do you do yourself, your religion and Einstein a disservice by using a false quote?
The actual quote attributed to
Einstein is “The more I study, the more I believe in God.” However,
there is no evidence that he actually said it. It is nowhere to be found in his
writing, though.
You can find a lot of similar but
different quotes by Einstein, such as:
I want to know
how God created this world. I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in
the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are
details.
–Albert
Einstein, 1955
Then you can also find quotes
like:
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.
–Albert Einstein, 1954
And here are some other views on
religion from Einstein:
"I cannot
conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the
type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive
his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise;
such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls. Enough for me
the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvellous
structure of reality, together with the single-hearted endeavour to comprehend
a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in
nature."
–Albert Einstein, 1935
"It seems
to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I
cannot take seriously."
–Albert Einstein, 1947
"The idea
of a personal God is quite alien to me and seems even naïve."
–Albert Einstein, 1952
"My
position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid
consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment
and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a
law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."
–Albert Einstein, 1952
So what did Einstein think about
God or a creator? Nothing like you do, John: his view of a God?
We can get a clue from these
quotes:
"My views
are near those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the
logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly.
I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and
understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human
problem—the most important of all human problems."
–Albert Einstein, 1930
Let’s also go back to the first
quote I mentioned:
“I want to know
how God created this world. I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in
the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are
details.”
–Albert Einstein, 1955
But more revealing, I think, is
this quote:
“What really
interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world.”
– Albert Einstein to one of
his assistants, Ernst Strauss
Einstein’s idea is somewhat like
a pantheist: his god was the beauty, complexity and simplicity of the universe
and how the universe ticked. The universe itself was his god, but likely not in
a mystical supernatural sense. Rather, it is the awe-inspiring sense of wonder
when you look up in the night sky, and realise that a star just poked you in
the eye, or the sense of wonder you get when Carl Sagan says “The cosmos
is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know
itself.”
Q: If a scientist doesn't believe
in God, does it mean s/he didn't study science enough?
A: No, it doesn’t mean that.
Again, go back to Einstein’s
actual sayings, especially this bit:
“I want to know
how God created this world. I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in
the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are
details.”
–Albert Einstein, 1955
In the light of Einstein’s other
quotes, it is clear what he means by “God” is the big picture, and “His
thoughts” rather refers to how the universe works. To do that, you cannot be
bogged down in little details. In a way, if you want to understand science, you
have to go big! You have to try to understand the big picture, how everything
is connected.
And you can get that big picture
if you allow yourself to broaden the horizon, to try to see how it all is
connected. I believe that is the “God” Einstein was looking for, not one of
Earth’s petty religions. In fact, you cannot find that “God” in
religion at all. You have to look at the world, rather than holy books or
churches, to get that understanding. Again, remember Carl Sagan’s words: “The
cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe
to know itself.”
In Robert Heinlein’s novel
Stranger in a Strange Land, he introduced the word “grok”, a word from the
(fictional) Martian civilisation. It is supposed to literaly mean “to drink”,
but is used in a much broader sense as “to comprehend”, “to love”, “to be one
with”.
So perhaps the quote attributed
to Einstein should read:
The more I
study, the more I grok the oneness of the Cosmos
–Definitely not Einstein
That I can definitely agree with.
And if you believe the gospel according to Thomas, you could argue that even
Jesus agrees:
Split a piece of
wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.
–Gospel of Thomas, saying 77
The rest are details.
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