Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist

Description

In Paul Arthur Schilpp's ALBERT EINSTEIN, PHILOSOPHER-SCIENTIST (which includes essays by Niels Bohr, Kurt Godel, Gaston Bachelard, Margaret C. Shields, Andrew Paul Ushenko and others) we get a reference library of science, philosophy, and one man's incredible influence on mankind- and, oh yeah, did I mention his autobiography too? Ah, but wait! Like a late night TV offer there's more. With the autobiography you also get two versions- one in German and the other in English for a price well worth the nominal expense. While it is easy to struggle with the concepts, theories and math formulas contained within the 800 pages or so the dual language approach offers we German language practitioners something to study as well. Think your ability to read German is good? Test yourself against the facing page in English and as you do you'll get a firsthand feel for his native tongue and piuck up something more in the process. Read on and you'll also find a few philosophical views Einstein tossed in as he penned his words. Consider this: " For, however brief and limited one's working life may be," he wrote, "and however predominant may be the ways of error, the exposition of that which is worthy of communication does nonetheless not come easy- today's person of 67 is by no means the same as was the one of 50, of 30, or of 20. Every reminiscence is colored by today's being what it is, and therefore by a deceptive point of view." Or this: "It is easier to denature plutonium than it is to denature the evil spirit of man." Astute observations given more credence by our own reminiscences or today's headlines. The essays by the others in this book offer more looks at this complicated man and his ideas, filling in the gaps and spaces of what we thought we knew. Schilpp put together a wonderful and profound book that could have easily been several or even a series of books. But it gave us something worthwhile to add to our ever on going education. There's genius there too. I just hope there's no written final exam but I guess that too is all relative.