内容简介
IDEASANDOPINIONScontainsessaysbyeminentscientistAlbertEinsteinonsubjectsrangingfromatomicenergy,relativity,andreligiontohumanrights,government,andeconomics.Previouslypublishedarticles,speeches,andlettersaregatheredhereto
作者简介
AlbertEinsteinisundoubtedlyoneofthemostfascinatingandinfluentialfiguresofthemodernera.Asapreeminentphysicist,heradicallytransformedourunderstandingoftheuniverse.Asanardenthumanist,hetookanactiveandoutspokenstanceonthesignificantpoliticalandsocialissuesofhistime.AsacommittedJew,headvocatedadistinctivemoralrolefortheJewishpeople.AlbertEinstein'scontributiontomodernphysicsissimplyunique.Hisscientificcareerwasaconstantquestfortheuniversalandimmutablelaws,whichgovernthephysicalworld.Histheoriesspannedthefundamentalquestionsofnature,fromtheverylargetotheverysmall,fromthecosmostosub-atomicparticles.Heoverturnedtheestablishedconceptsoftimeandspace,energyandmatter.Einsteinplayedacrucialroleinestablishingthetwopillarsof20thcenturyphysics:hewasthefatherofthetheoryofrelativityandamajorcontributortoquantumtheory.Einsteinwasatheoreticalphysicist-hisonlyconcretetoolsbeingpencilandpaper.Ithasbeensaidthathistruetoolswereapenetratingandintuitivegraspoftheworkingsofthenaturalworldandthe"thoughtexperiment"-anintellectualexerciseusedbyphysiciststoreachatheoreticalconclusionfromidealizedphysicalprocesses.Yet,Einsteinwasnotapurelyabstractthinker.Hegraspedtheworldinconcreteimagesandstrovetotranslatethemintowordsandequationsthatcouldbeunderstoodbyothers.SciencewasAlbertEinstein'sfirstlove,yethealwaysfoundtimetodevotetirelesseffortstopoliticalcausesclosetohisheart.Hisardenthumanismledhimtostriveforpeace,freedomandsocialjustice.TheyoungEinsteinfoundtheauthoritarianismandmilitarismoftheGermaneducationalsystemprofoundlydisturbing.ThevirulentnationalismandbrutalityoftheFirstWorldWarservedtoconfirmEinstein'spacifistandinternationalistconvictions.Inthe1920s,Einsteinbecameanactiveleaderoftheinternationalanti-warmovementandsupportedconscientiousobjection.However,theNazirisetopowerbroughtaboutasubstantialchangeinEinstein'sposition:hebegantoadvocatemilitarypreparednessbytheEuropeandemocraciesagainstthethreatofNazism.Inthiscontext,EinsteinwrotehisfamouslettertoU.S.PresidentRooseveltinwhichheurgedhimtoinitiateanAmericannuclearresearchprogramme.Withtheonsetoftheatomicera,Einsteinrealizedthatnuclearweaponswereaprofoundrisktohumanityandcouldbringanendtocivilization.Duringthelastdecadeofhislife,hewastirelessinhiseffortstocreateeffectiveinternationalcooperationtopreventwar.Throughouthislife,AlbertEinsteinfeltacloseaffinitywiththeJewishpeople.EinsteindefinedJudaismasaculturewithasharedhistoricalpastandcommonethicalvaluesratherthanasaninstitutionalizedreligion.ForhimthemainvaluesofJudaismwereintellectualaspirationandthepursuitofsocialjustice.LikeSpinoza,hedidnotbelieveinapersonalgod,butthatthedivinerevealsitselfinthephysicalworld.EinsteinsupportedthecreationofahomelandfortheJewsinPalestine.However,hestipulatedthatanysolutionoftheArab-Jewishconflicthadtobebasedonmutualunderstandingandconsent.AlbertEinsteinwasoneofthefoundersoftheHebrewUniversityofJerusalem.HeservedontheUniversity'sfirstBoardofGovernorsandAcademicCouncil.HedeliveredtheUniversity'sinauguralscientificlectureandediteditsfirstcollectionofscientificpapers.HisuniquerelationshiptothisinstitutionfoundalastingexpressioninthebequestofhisliteraryestateandpersonalpaperstotheHebrewUniversityinhisLastWillandTestament.
