Einstein on Politics: His Private Thoughts and Public Stands on Nationalism, Zionism, War, Peace, and the Bomb - Hardcover

Einstein, Albert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691120943 ISBN 13: 9780691120942

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2007

Synopsis

The most famous scientist of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein was also one of the century's most outspoken political activists. Deeply engaged with the events of his tumultuous times, from the two world wars and the Holocaust, to the atomic bomb and the Cold War, to the effort to establish a Jewish homeland, Einstein was a remarkably prolific political writer, someone who took courageous and often unpopular stands against nationalism, militarism, anti-Semitism, racism, and McCarthyism. In Einstein on Politics, leading Einstein scholars David Rowe and Robert Schulmann gather Einstein's most important public and private political writings and put them into historical context. The book reveals a little-known Einstein--not the ineffectual and naïve idealist of popular imagination, but a principled, shrewd pragmatist whose stands on political issues reflected the depth of his humanity.

Nothing encapsulates Einstein's profound involvement in twentieth-century politics like the atomic bomb. Here we read the former militant pacifist's 1939 letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt warning that Germany might try to develop an atomic bomb. But the book also documents how Einstein tried to explain this action to Japanese pacifists after the United States used atomic weapons to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki, events that spurred Einstein to call for international control of nuclear technology.

A vivid firsthand view of how one of the twentieth century's greatest minds responded to the greatest political challenges of his day, Einstein on Politics will forever change our picture of Einstein's public activism and private motivations.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"This book is both fascinating and valuable. By reading Einstein's political writings in their proper historical context, we can see how his politics reflected a deep sense of moral responsibility and a coherent vision of justice and global order. Einstein's humanism shines through on every page."--Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe

"For all too long, Albert Einstein's political engagements have been understood, almost parodically, as the naïve pronouncements of a man who floated above human conflicts. But Einstein was anything but naïve. Passionate about social injustice since he was a young man in Europe, Einstein stood hard against militarism, and the accelerating seizure of power by the Nazis. He was a pacifist who knew when pacifism had to be put aside to re-arm against Hitler, a Zionist who never hesitated to speak out for the rights of Arabs, a Democratic Socialist who did not hesitate to blast the authoritarianism of right and left, a proud American who detested McCarthyism. Rowe and Schulmann have gathered crucial documents and set them in context with thoughtful and well-researched scene-setting commentary. Anyone interested in what the most famous person of the twentieth century thought about that century's most important problems ought to study this book with care."--Peter Galison, Harvard University

"This is a superb collection of Einstein's political reflections and statements, with an excellent introduction. No other book is remotely comparable in aim, quality, or currency."--Mary Jo Nye, Oregon State University

"There is nothing else like Einstein on Politics. Rowe and Schulmann's erudition and familiarity with all aspects of Einstein's life make this book an authoritative source on Einstein's political views, many of which are still relevant today."--S. S. Schweber, author of In the Shadow of the Bomb

About the Author:

David E. Rowe is professor of the history of mathematics and natural sciences at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and a former member of the Einstein Papers Project. Robert Schulmann, a former Boston University history professor, is former head of the Einstein Papers Project. He coedited Albert Einstein, Mileva Marić: The Love Letters and many volumes of the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein (all Princeton).

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0691120943
• ISBN 13: 9780691120942
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 560
• Editor: Rowe David E., Schulmann Robert