Was Einstein an atheist?

[finalfrogo]

There seems to be lots of discrepancy on this issue. Many of Einstein's quotes suggest he was a theist, while many other quotes suggest he was an atheist. Can anyone shed some light on this?
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[evearael]

His faith was the reason he had such difficulty with quantum physics towards the end of his life... (This quote is from memory: "God doesn't roll dice!")

 

[d.]

lazy divine, just home from the pub, will only post link, might talk tomorrow.

einstein and religion

 

[Buttercup]

I have always thought of Einstein as believing in the possibility of God but knew he did not favor religion of any kind.

This is from the link Divine provided...........

"I want to know how God created the this world. I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details."

— From E. Salaman, "A Talk With Einstein," The Listener 54 (1955), pp. 370-371, quoted in Jammer, p. 123.


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[standing_on_one_foot]

Hmm. Far as I can tell, he was a theist, but not exactly religious as you might think of it. I don't think he was much into the idea of a personal G-d...

I have always thought of Einstein as believing in the possibility of God but knew he did not favor religion of any kind.

He was certainly Jewish, though...it was important to him. I think he once described himself as "a deeply religious nonbeliever," make of that what you will.

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

 

[doppelganger]

Einstein doesn't fall into the false dichotomy of theist v. atheist. His writings and speeches reveal something much richer than that.

 

[michel]

Don't forget his quote "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." ...........

 

[Booko]

lazy divine, just home from the pub, will only post link, might talk tomorrow.

einstein and religion

A very useful link! Thanks! It's enjoyable to read through ideas that are presented in such a rational and well thought out manner. I bookmarked so I can go through all of it later.

I understand where he would get ideas like this about religion, but it's too bad he never met any Baha'is:

A man who is convinced of the truth of his religion is indeed never tolerant, and he is unable to be tolerant. At the least, he is to feel pity for the adherent of another religion but usually it does not stop there. The faithful adherent of a religion will try first of all to convince those that believe in another religion and usually he goes on to hatred if he is not successful. However, hatred leads to persecution when the might of the majority is behind it.

I really don't have any problem believing that my religion is true -- and so is yours.

Heck, I don't have a problem believing that atheism is sometimes the best way for some people. :sarcastic

 

[doppelganger]

I understand where he would get ideas like this about religion, but it's too bad he never met any Baha'is:

Can you be more specific?

 

[Phil Osophy]

There is no real controversy. He had Jewish origins, but made it clear that he did not believe in a personal god. Quotes suggesting that he did believe in a personal god tend to be incomplete and out of context. He believed in what he termed Spinoza's god, which is not a god in the Abrahamic sense. It also helps to bear in mind that when scientists in general talk about god they are not usually talking about a personal god. They are usually talking more in terms of a hypothetical creator that aids the point they are making.
Does it really matter whether he was an atheist, agnostic, Jew, Christian, or whatever?

 

[Random]

Einstein doesn't fall into the false dichotomy of theist v. atheist. His writings and speeches reveal something much richer than that.

Precisely. :yes:

 

[c0da]

Has anybody here read Richard Dawkin's God Delusion? He devotes a chapter to describing what he calls 'einstieinian religion' and attempts to explain, through quotes of scientists including Einstein, that their belief was not theistic and was more just an appreciation of nature as a greater being. I'll have another read of the chapter tomorrow and try to explain it better than above.

 

[Kay]

Has anybody here read Richard Dawkin's God Delusion? He devotes a chapter to describing what he calls 'einstieinian religion' and attempts to explain, through quotes of scientists including Einstein, that their belief was not theistic and was more just an appreciation of nature as a greater being. I'll have another read of the chapter tomorrow and try to explain it better than above.

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=702739#post702739

 

[Phil Osophy]

You can get a good idea of the Einstein/Dawkins version of god by reading about the philosopher Benedict De Spinoza. This idea of things is a long way from a personal god, and does not have god as a creator. God and nature are merged into one. This link has a good article about Spinoza.

http://www.iep.utm.edu/s/spinoza.htm

This MP3 file is an interview between Steve Paulson Richard Dawkins.

http://www.wpr.org/book/GOD/E2E%2008%20Richard%20Dawkins.mp3

 

[c0da]

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=702739#post702739

Ah, yes. That little bit of the interview explains it well. Thanks Neosnoia

 

[N00bPwnr]

Einstein was a scientist but all the quotes I've heard suggest he did believe in God.
"God does not throw dice with the universe" was how he voiced his opinion against quantum mechanics.

 

[Phil Osophy]

"God does not throw dice with the universe" was how he voiced his opinion against quantum mechanics

Precisely. This was an agument about the randomness of quantum physics and not anything to do with god or religion. In this context you have to think of god as nature. "Nature does not throw dice with the universe". Current scientific opinion is that he was wrong anyway.

 

[N00bPwnr]

I think he was kind of angry that the "randomness" of quantum mechanics were not compatible with the "gentleness" of his relativity theories. I have heard some people claim that he was always talking to religous leaders but I don't know if that's true. Have you heard anything like that?

 

[Phil Osophy]

I think that he was sometimes replying to cricism from religious leaders about his atheistic remarks, but many of the problems are probably due to him not choosing his words with sufficient care. He said this to his biographer late in life:

"In the past it never occurred to me that every casual remark of mine would be snatched up and recorded. Otherwise I would have crept further into my shell."

Perhaps he was slow to realise just how famous he had become.

 

[N00bPwnr]

Maybe he was hoping that some of those religious leaders would give him insight for his quest for the T.O.E. Religion can be viewed as a non-scientific T.O.E. maybe he was looking for clue, I don't know.