By Walter Isaacson
I’m not a fan of biographies, finding them tediously filled with trivial references and unnecessary detail. However, this book by the author of previous works on Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger held my interest throughout, mainly because it deals with areas of fascination to me – modern physics, human characterlogical glimpses, and analysis of the subject’s philosophical convictions.
It is extraordinarily well written and highly readable. The text flows relatively seamlessly; the only jarring note was the occasional “flashback” to earlier situations and incidents (these were probably necessary to give a contextual framework to the topic at hand). The editing seems flawless, and the author’s use of the language is superb; his background as an experienced reporter and media expert is obvious.
This reviewer was especially impressed with the unobtrusive yet comprehensive system of reference citations. Thankfully there are a relatively limited number of asterisked footnotes, and the voluminous numbered citations are indexed to a “Notes” section at the end of the book organized by groups of pages rather than chapters. This enables the reader to quickly find the origin of the text material; I found myself using an additional bookmark for the Notes, so that I could go from the main text to the references with ease.
Although Isaacson, of course, approaches his subject in a chronological style, the reader can differentiate among at least three major themes in the work; these are undoubtedly colored to some extent by the author’s personal positions and biases.
Einstein’s science.
Here Isaacson does an admirable job in portraying Einstein’s lifelong curiosity regarding the workings of the universe and his inclination to engage in fantasy scenarios (e.g., what would one experience if one could ride along with a beam of light? How would the sensation of being in a windowless falling elevator be interpreted?). His “thought experiments” underscored his preference for conceptualization and deductive theorization rather than theory-building by inductive use of experimental data.
This is the methodology he employed in developing his two major revolutionary formulations, Special and General Relativity. The author captures this in his description of the Einsteinian prediction that gravity acts on light just as it does on “solid” matter, and the much later observation verifying this phenomenon by measurement of the image displacement of Mercury when close to an Eclipsed sun. When asked by an interviewer about his reaction if the observation had not supported his ideas, Einstein provided the famous quip to the effect that he’d be sorry for God, because the theory was correct.
The impact of his theories, with their conceptual correlates accepting the duality of waves and particles, the equivalence of mass and energy, and the notion of a four dimensional spacetime continuum, cannot be overstated. As THE successor to Newton, he opened the door to modern physics, and that door has remained open for the last one hundred years. However, as Isaacson amply portrays, his mid and later years were characterized by his Quixotic quest for a universal field theory with which to meld the forces of gravity and electromagnetism and, correspondingly, his futile attempts to overturn the disorderly and irrational aspects of quantum mechanics with its emphasis on uncertainty and probability -- his refusal to accept the proposition that God plays dice with the universe.
Einstein’s personality and character.
Like most, my mental image of Einstein is of a kindly-looking, wildly-coiffed old man wearing a slightly befuddled expression. This probably reflects the image he displayed in his final years at the New Jersey’s Institute for Advanced Studies, but Isaacson ably paints a different portrait of his subject during his developing and most scientifically productive times.
First and foremost, he was a consistently anti authoritarian and distinctly revolutionary sort as manifested by his outspoken disdain for the educational, social, theological, political, and scientific systems of his experience. In this regard, he was often a target for criticism, ranging from mild public reproach to outright hostility especially by those who prized order, discipline, obedience, and adherence to orthodox conventionality.
Although he could be convivial and pleasant in his social contacts, particularly enjoying musical exercises with friends and scientific discussions with colleagues, he thrived on isolation in his theoretical musings (even to the extent of psychologically withdrawing during public events and spending the time scribbling equations on a notepad). This pattern was contrasted by obvious seeking public acclimation and publicity via frequent granting of interviews with media, despite the displeasure of the ‘keepers’ of his well-being.
Further, Einstein appears to have been inordinately self-centered with, evidently, an inability to demonstrate much in the way of empathy toward others, even close family members. He could be petulant, dogmatic and harshly judgmental.
He avoided emotional intimacy, but seemed to draw strong care-taking behaviors from associates, especially some of the women in his later life. Although he seems to have had a marked ethical style in most of his dealings, financially and professionally, he was inclined to act with some “moral relativity”, for example apparently being a mild womanizer with several dalliances and affairs to his credit.
Einstein’s social and philosophical positions.
As would be expected from looking at his strong resistance to authoritative control, Einstein rejected nationalism, supporting a world “supranational” government with control of the militaries of all nations. Surprisingly, in view of his experience with the Nazi regime, he was initially opposed to the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine claiming that if would inevitably result in social injustice toward the non-Jewish residents; he didn’t change his perspective on this Zionist issue until after the fact of Israel’s official formation. Similarly, he espoused a creed of pacifism to the extent of encouraging civil disobedience to forced induction into the military.
He exhibited a rather strange adherence to eugenics (probably reflecting the prevailing biological viewpoints of his time), and was inclined to engage in racial/ethnic stereotypes (even Jewish ones) as well as acceptance of trait inheritance. For example, he attributed the psychiatric illness of his youngest son to the familial weaknesses of his first wife; one wonders if this view represents a psychological defense for his failure to ever have much to do with the boy.
Despite prevailing notions that Einstein was an atheist, and his non acceptance of the religious tenets of Judaism, he did exhibit a distinct theology. He rejected the idea of a personal God, but decidedly affirmed a belief in a cosmic intelligence, at least as a “prime mover”. His position seems identical to the Deistic views of other enlightenment figures including our country’s earliest intellectuals.
In conclusion, Isaacson has written an excellent study of one of the twentieth century’s true giants. The work has a Michener-like quality and style in its blend of history and character study. It was difficult to put down; for this reviewer that’s high praise for a biography.
Review by Ken West
It is extraordinarily well written and highly readable. The text flows relatively seamlessly; the only jarring note was the occasional “flashback” to earlier situations and incidents (these were probably necessary to give a contextual framework to the topic at hand). The editing seems flawless, and the author’s use of the language is superb; his background as an experienced reporter and media expert is obvious.
This reviewer was especially impressed with the unobtrusive yet comprehensive system of reference citations. Thankfully there are a relatively limited number of asterisked footnotes, and the voluminous numbered citations are indexed to a “Notes” section at the end of the book organized by groups of pages rather than chapters. This enables the reader to quickly find the origin of the text material; I found myself using an additional bookmark for the Notes, so that I could go from the main text to the references with ease.
Although Isaacson, of course, approaches his subject in a chronological style, the reader can differentiate among at least three major themes in the work; these are undoubtedly colored to some extent by the author’s personal positions and biases.
Einstein’s science.
Here Isaacson does an admirable job in portraying Einstein’s lifelong curiosity regarding the workings of the universe and his inclination to engage in fantasy scenarios (e.g., what would one experience if one could ride along with a beam of light? How would the sensation of being in a windowless falling elevator be interpreted?). His “thought experiments” underscored his preference for conceptualization and deductive theorization rather than theory-building by inductive use of experimental data.
This is the methodology he employed in developing his two major revolutionary formulations, Special and General Relativity. The author captures this in his description of the Einsteinian prediction that gravity acts on light just as it does on “solid” matter, and the much later observation verifying this phenomenon by measurement of the image displacement of Mercury when close to an Eclipsed sun. When asked by an interviewer about his reaction if the observation had not supported his ideas, Einstein provided the famous quip to the effect that he’d be sorry for God, because the theory was correct.
The impact of his theories, with their conceptual correlates accepting the duality of waves and particles, the equivalence of mass and energy, and the notion of a four dimensional spacetime continuum, cannot be overstated. As THE successor to Newton, he opened the door to modern physics, and that door has remained open for the last one hundred years. However, as Isaacson amply portrays, his mid and later years were characterized by his Quixotic quest for a universal field theory with which to meld the forces of gravity and electromagnetism and, correspondingly, his futile attempts to overturn the disorderly and irrational aspects of quantum mechanics with its emphasis on uncertainty and probability -- his refusal to accept the proposition that God plays dice with the universe.
Einstein’s personality and character.
Like most, my mental image of Einstein is of a kindly-looking, wildly-coiffed old man wearing a slightly befuddled expression. This probably reflects the image he displayed in his final years at the New Jersey’s Institute for Advanced Studies, but Isaacson ably paints a different portrait of his subject during his developing and most scientifically productive times.
First and foremost, he was a consistently anti authoritarian and distinctly revolutionary sort as manifested by his outspoken disdain for the educational, social, theological, political, and scientific systems of his experience. In this regard, he was often a target for criticism, ranging from mild public reproach to outright hostility especially by those who prized order, discipline, obedience, and adherence to orthodox conventionality.
Although he could be convivial and pleasant in his social contacts, particularly enjoying musical exercises with friends and scientific discussions with colleagues, he thrived on isolation in his theoretical musings (even to the extent of psychologically withdrawing during public events and spending the time scribbling equations on a notepad). This pattern was contrasted by obvious seeking public acclimation and publicity via frequent granting of interviews with media, despite the displeasure of the ‘keepers’ of his well-being.
Further, Einstein appears to have been inordinately self-centered with, evidently, an inability to demonstrate much in the way of empathy toward others, even close family members. He could be petulant, dogmatic and harshly judgmental.
He avoided emotional intimacy, but seemed to draw strong care-taking behaviors from associates, especially some of the women in his later life. Although he seems to have had a marked ethical style in most of his dealings, financially and professionally, he was inclined to act with some “moral relativity”, for example apparently being a mild womanizer with several dalliances and affairs to his credit.
Einstein’s social and philosophical positions.
As would be expected from looking at his strong resistance to authoritative control, Einstein rejected nationalism, supporting a world “supranational” government with control of the militaries of all nations. Surprisingly, in view of his experience with the Nazi regime, he was initially opposed to the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine claiming that if would inevitably result in social injustice toward the non-Jewish residents; he didn’t change his perspective on this Zionist issue until after the fact of Israel’s official formation. Similarly, he espoused a creed of pacifism to the extent of encouraging civil disobedience to forced induction into the military.
He exhibited a rather strange adherence to eugenics (probably reflecting the prevailing biological viewpoints of his time), and was inclined to engage in racial/ethnic stereotypes (even Jewish ones) as well as acceptance of trait inheritance. For example, he attributed the psychiatric illness of his youngest son to the familial weaknesses of his first wife; one wonders if this view represents a psychological defense for his failure to ever have much to do with the boy.
Despite prevailing notions that Einstein was an atheist, and his non acceptance of the religious tenets of Judaism, he did exhibit a distinct theology. He rejected the idea of a personal God, but decidedly affirmed a belief in a cosmic intelligence, at least as a “prime mover”. His position seems identical to the Deistic views of other enlightenment figures including our country’s earliest intellectuals.
In conclusion, Isaacson has written an excellent study of one of the twentieth century’s true giants. The work has a Michener-like quality and style in its blend of history and character study. It was difficult to put down; for this reviewer that’s high praise for a biography.
Review by Ken West
1 comment:
Certainly a book on my TO READ list. It has been some time since I read a previous biography. His ability to construct vivid metaphors to illustrate complex matters impressed me as a hallmark of his genius.
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