Subtle are Einstein's thoughts

Physics World via PhysicsWeb ^ | September 2005 | Alan H Batten

[FireTrack]

"Or lots of clues about everything."

I'm afraid I resemble that remark.

:-)

[Tribune7]

"I am not an atheist"
--Einstein
:-)

[bondserv]

I don't think it's possible to study science & nature without being moved by it. The Bible is an awesome book; but you can't convince me that the universe is not also a revelation of God. Nothing teaches man greater humility before the Infinite than to see his insignificant place in the midst of time and the cosmos.

I agree with what you are saying. I should have clarified my remarks by saying, "The Bible is the only Holy Book that is a valid revelation from God."

Thank you for making that distinction. Clearly I believe that God also reveals his ways through His creation; as my tag line indicates.

[FireTrack]

"Einstein found the creationists' idea of God to be, in his words, "naive"."

And we haven't even discussed the lesser Gods and Demons...

[Quark2005]

Ever delve into entanglement?

As in quantum entanglement and action-at-a-distance?

I know a bit about it, but I'm no expert. I've had several semesters worth of grad. level quantum physics; I spent a little time studying Bell's inequality & its implications, but it was a few years ago; I've since moved on to other areas of work - and as they say with all science knowledge, "use it or lose it". Quantum entanglement is not an easy subject to get your mind around.

It is my opinion that the theological (and even physical) implications of entanglement, while important, are somewhat exaggerated, however. I do know that the biggest misconception about it is that quantum entanglement somehow allows one to sidestep the effects of relavity (and the speed limit of light), when in fact, it really does not.

[Quark2005]

relavity

I meant relativity of course. (Embarrassing to misspell this word on an Einstein thread....)

[RightWhale]

he was a famous, quirky looking guy

I would not know personally, but apparently he was very lively, personable and outgoing, had an excellent sense of humor, and was quite relaxed in social situations, and was the only friend of Goedel. Goedel was the opposite in almost every way, yet had a very close home life.

[Raycpa]

Do you think Einstein believed that God exists or he just referred to him as another way to describe nature?

[PatrickHenry]

Einstein was quirky-looking in his later years (a fate that probably awaits us all), but as a younger man -- although he was nobody's idea of a movie-star, I can understand that he may have had a way with the ladies:

[bondserv]

Then why does the majority of "the world" remain unpersuaded by this "proof"? Something appears to be wrong with your presumptions.

Your thoughts were foresaw by God and He inspired Paul to clear things up for us. Bolded for your convenience.

Rom 1:18-32
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, *sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, *unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

[FireTrack]

" As in quantum entanglement and action-at-a-distance?"

Yep, pretty fascinating stuff and wasn't it Einstein who predicted this "spooky" action-at-a-distance? It is unreal how this man using only his mind and a chalk board conceived of these properties of nature that we now only have the technology to prove or telescopes to view as in black holes.

[VadeRetro]

If it really mattered what Einstein thought about God, this one would be the cruncher for crevo thread purposes:

"To assume the existence of an unperceivable being ... does not facilitate understanding the orderliness we find in the perceivable world."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to an Iowa student who asked, What is God? July, 1953; Einstein Archive

This is not a God who pops in every once in a while to make a new species because microevolution can never become macroevolution. There are no miracles at all with this God. He got it as right as He needed it up front.

[spinestein]

[He was even worse in economics. The guy was a socialist.]



I admire Einstein most for his willingness to change his mind when the evidence warranted it. He abandoned his long held belief in a static universe when it was demonstrated that the universe was expanding, and he abandoned his pacifist views when he realized that the Nazis were not likely to be reasoned out of committing genocide.

He also learned to respect much of American entrepreneurial ism in his later years after he spent some time here.

[VadeRetro]

What women used to call "bedroom eyes." (Young Charles Boyer was supposedly the classic example.)

I never had them, but I have some silly-looking pics of my Dad as a young man making them at the camera.

[Lancey Howard]

BUMP!

[Quark2005]

It is unreal how this man using only his mind and a chalk board conceived of these properties of nature that we now only have the technology to prove or telescopes to view as in black holes.

IMHO, the most truly remarkable thing about Einstein was the diverse range of subtopics in physics he contributed essential knowledge to. His 1905 paper included:

-a study of Brownian motion (the first self-contained empirical method of measuring molecular/atomic masses)

-the photoelectric effect (essentially the discovery of photons, which is actually the theory that won him the Nobel Prize)

- AND special relativity.

Later in life he contributed general relativity, important theories in quantum statistics and the specific heats of solids, and to the development of quantum mechanics and cosmology.

Any one of this vast number of contributions would have been enough for most physicists to say they had a successful career.

[FireTrack]

Another intriguing theory: http://www.geocities.com/mirrorplanets/ I guess what I'm doing here is reinforcing how much we have left to discover and just how much we don't understand.

I think Einstein instead of allowing himself to accept something that might have been false in his religious beliefs instead opted for a childlike religion of possibilities?

Einstein, I believe, trusted in a Creator that would appreciate his courage of conviction. :-)

[VadeRetro]

[Zechariah11]

What part of your little plug did I miss?

[Aracelis]

Brilliant physicist, amateurish theologian.

Einstein never claimed to be a theologian. Ah, but aren't we all of necessity "amateurish" theologians in our own way?

Every human comes at least once to a place where we consider if there is not Something Bigger out there. Were this not so; if we could not grasp anything larger than our own needs, I doubt we would qualify as "conscious" entities.

Thus each of us determines our own theology - be it Paganism, Pantheism, Christianity, Atheism, Agnosticism, etc., etc,. And the spectrum of adherence to the tenets of each faith is equally as broad, and changes over the course of one's lifetime.

Quote-mining in order to prove or disprove Einstein's religious convictions is a futile endeavor...for none of us were privy to his conscious thoughts as he slipped from this life. I am however, immensely satisfied that Einstein, for all his brains, still retained a sense of wonder, awe, and mystery about the Universe.