In defense of failure
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan:
May 17th, 2008
Archive for May 17th, 2008
Einstein on God
Einstein is sometimes cited as a great scientist who believed in God. Cited in support of this is his famous statement in regards to the probabilistic nature of quantum theory: “God does not play dice with the universe.” A recently auctioned January 3, 1954 letter however gives a clearer sense of his thoughts on religion, which in some sense resemble those of Freud and Marx:
The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this.
May 17th, 2008