Do You Want My Opinion By M Kerr Pdf To Word

I look upon myself as a man. Is an infantile. It is the measles of.
• The meaning of relativity has been widely misunderstood. Philosophers play with the word, like a child with a doll. Relativity, as I see it, merely denotes that certain physical and mechanical facts, which have been regarded as positive and permanent, are relative with regard to certain other facts in the sphere of physics and mechanics. It does not mean that everything in life is relative and that we have the right to turn the whole world mischievously topsy-turvy. • No man can four dimensions, except mathematically I think in four dimensions, but only abstractly. The human mind can picture these dimensions no more than it can envisage electricity.
Nevertheless, they are no less real than electro-magnetism, the force which controls our universe, within, and by which we have our being. • Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing. • Quoted in The Ultimate Quotable Einstein by Alice Calaprice (2010), p.
230 • I refuse to make money out of my science. My laurel is not for sale like so many bales of cotton. • If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music.
I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. I cannot tell if I would have done any creative work of importance in music, but I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin.
• Reading after a certain age diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking, just as the man who spends too much time in the theater is tempted to be content with living vicariously instead of living his own life. • Our time is Gothic in its spirit. Unlike the Renaissance, it is not dominated by a few outstanding personalities. The twentieth century has established the democracy of the intellect. In the republic of art and science there are many men who take an equally important part in the intellectual movements of our age. It is the epoch rather than the individual that is important.
The night before last I dreamed that Cynthia Slater asked my opinion of The Catcher in the Rye. Last night I dreamed I told Lauren Lake what I thought about John Lennon's music, Picasso's art, and Soviet-American relations. It's getting worse. I'm tired of putting my head under the cold-water faucet. Early this morning my. Aug 12, 2016. If you want a pdf you can print out and read somewhere suitable, you can download one here. I'm not here to opine on which system is better. My opinion is that this is hypocrisy; it is the journal's own refusal to consider articles without expedited review, and use of the quality of the offering journal as.
There is no one dominant personality like Galileo or Newton. Even in the nineteenth century there were still a few giants who outtopped all others. Today the general level is much higher than ever before in the history of the world, but there are few men whose stature immediately sets them apart from all others. • In America, more than anywhere else, the individual is lost in the achievements of the many. America is beginning to be the world leader in scientific investigation. American scholarship is both patient and inspiring. The Americans show an unselfish devotion to science, which is the very opposite of the conventional European view of your countrymen.
Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
It is not true that the dollar is an American fetish. The American student is not interested in dollars, not even in success as such, but in his task, the object of the search. It is his painstaking application to the study of the infinitely little and the infinitely large which accounts for his success in astronomy. • We are inclined to overemphasize the material influences in history.
The Russians especially make this mistake. Intellectual values and ethnic influences, tradition and emotional factors are equally important. If this were not the case, Europe would today be a federated state, not a madhouse of nationalism. • I am a determinist.
As such, I do not believe in free will. The Jews believe in free will. They believe that man shapes his own life.
I reject that doctrine philosophically. In that respect I am not a Jew. • Quoted in by Walter Isaacson, p.
387 • I believe with: We can do what we wish, but we can only wish what we must. Practically, I am, nevertheless, compelled to act as if freedom of the will existed. If I wish to live in a civilized community, I must act as if man is a responsible being. I know that philosophically a murderer is not responsible for his crime; nevertheless, I must protect myself from unpleasant contacts. I may consider him guiltless, but I prefer not to take tea with him.
• My own career was undoubtedly determined, not by my own will but by various factors over which I have no control—primarily those mysterious glands in which Nature prepares the very essence of life, our internal secretions. • Whereas materialistic historians and philosophers neglect psychic realities, Freud is inclined to overstress their importance. I am not a psychologist, but it seems to me fairly evident that physiological factors, especially our endocrines, control our destiny I am not able to venture a judgment on so important a phase of modern thought. However, it seems to me that psychoanalysis is not always salutary. It may not always be helpful to delve into the subconscious. The machinery of our legs is controlled by a hundred different muscles. Do you think it would help us to walk if we analyzed our legs and knew exactly which one of the little muscles must be employed in locomotion and the order in which they work?
I am not prepared to accept all his [Freud's] conclusions, but I consider his work an immensely valuable contribution to the science of human behavior. I think he is even greater as a writer than as a psychologist. Freud's brilliant style is unsurpassed by anyone since Schopenhauer.
• The only progress I can see is progress in organization. The ordinary human being does not live long enough to draw any substantial benefit from his own experience. And no one, it seems, can benefit by the experiences of others.
Being both a father and teacher, I know we can teach our children nothing. We can transmit to them neither our knowledge of life nor of mathematics.
Each must learn its lesson anew. • I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right.
I do not know that I am. When two expeditions of scientists, financed by the Royal Academy, went forth to test my theory of relativity, I was convinced that their conclusions would tally with my hypothesis. I was not surprised when the eclipse of May 29, 1919, confirmed my intuitions. I would have been surprised if I had been wrong. • I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
Imagination encircles the world. • As a child, I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. • Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.
• No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.
• As reported in Einstein — A Life (1996) by Denis Brian, when asked about a clipping from a magazine article reporting his comments on Christianity as taken down by Viereck, Einstein carefully read the clipping and replied, 'That is what I believe.' • It is quite possible to be both. I look upon myself as a man. Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. • When asked by Viereck if he considered himself to be a German or a Jew.
A version with slightly different wording is quoted in by Walter Isaacson (2007), p. 386 • We Jews have been too adaptable. We have been too eager to sacrifice our idiosyncrasies for the sake of social conformity. Even in modern civilization, the Jew is most happy if he remains a Jew. • I do not think that religion is the most important element. We are held together rather by a body of tradition, handed down from father to son, which the child imbibes with his mother's milk. The atmosphere of our infancy predetermines our idiosyncrasies and predilections.
• In response to a question about whether religion is the tie holding the Jews together. • But to return to the Jewish question. Other groups and nations cultivate their individual traditions. There is no reason why we should sacrifice ours. Standardization robs life of its spice. To deprive every ethnic group of its special traditions is to convert the world into a huge Ford plant.
I believe in standardizing automobiles. I do not believe in standardizing human beings. Standardization is a great peril which threatens American culture. • I am happy because I want nothing from anyone. I do not care for money.
Decorations, titles or distinctions mean nothing to me. I do not crave praise. The only thing that gives me pleasure, apart from my work, my violin and my sailboat, is the appreciation of my fellow workers. • I claim credit for nothing.
Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player. • I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as a Pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds.
May I not reply with a parable? The human mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. We are in the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written those books. It does not know who or how.
It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order, which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God. We see a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations. I am fascinated by Spinoza's Pantheism.
I admire even more his contributions to modern thought. Spinoza is the greatest of modern philosophers, because he is the first philosopher who deals with the soul and the body as one, not as two separate things. • Did not appear in Saturday Evening Post story, but in Glimpses of the Great (1930) by G. There have been of this quotation.
• Sometimes misquoted as, 'I don't think I can call myself a pantheist'. • Variant, from by Walter Isaacson, p. 386: I'm not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written these books.
It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.
• I am fascinated by Spinoza's pantheism, but I admire even more his contribution to modern thought because he is the first philosopher to deal with the soul and body as one, and not two separate things. • Did not appear in Saturday Evening Post story, but quoted in by Walter Isaacson, p. 387, in the section discussing Viereck's interview. It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience. • Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. • In answer to a question asked by the editors of Youth, a journal of Young Israel of Williamsburg, NY.
Quoted in the New York Times, June 20, 1932, • Unsourced variant: Only a life in the service of others is worth living. • Our experience hitherto justifies us in trusting that nature is the realization of the simplest that is mathematically conceivable. I am convinced that purely mathematical construction enables us to find those concepts and those lawlike connections between them that provide the key to the understanding of natural phenomena.
Useful mathematical concepts may well be suggested by experience, but in no way can they be derived from it. Experience naturally remains the sole criterion of the usefulness of a mathematical construction for physics. But the actual creative principle lies in mathematics.
Thus, in a certain sense, I take it to be true that pure thought can grasp the real, as the ancients had dreamed. • from On the Method of Theoretical Physics, p. The Herbert Spencer Lecture, delivered at Oxford (10 June 1933). Quoted in • It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience. • 'On the Method of Theoretical Physics' The Herbert Spencer Lecture, delivered at Oxford (10 June 1933); also published in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 2 (April 1934), pp. [thanks to Dr.
Techie @ www.wordorigins.org and JSTOR] • There is a quote attributed to Einstein that may have arisen as a paraphrase of the above quote, commonly given as “ Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” or “Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.” See for a discussion of where these later variants may have arisen. • The original quote is very similar to, which advocates that among all hypotheses compatible with all available observations, the simplest hypothesis is the most plausible one. • The aphorism 'everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler' is normally taken to be a warning against too much simplicity and emphasizes that one cannot simplify things to a point where the hypothesis is no more compatible with all observations.
The aphorism does not contradict or extend Occam's razor, but rather stresses that both elements of the razor, simplicity and compatibility with the observations, are essential. • The earliest known appearance of Einstein's razor is an essay by Roger Sessions in the New York Times (8 January 1950), where Sessions appears to be paraphrasing Einstein: “I also remember a remark of Albert Einstein, which certainly applies to music. He said, in effect, that everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler.” • Another early appearance, from Time magazine (14 December 1962): “We try to keep in mind a saying attributed to Einstein—that everything must be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.” • Force always attracts men of low morality. •, Einstein, Citadel Press (reprint 2006; originally published in 1934), p.
5 • There is not the slightest indication that [nuclear energy] will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will. • As quoted in 'Atom Energy Hope is Spiked By Einstein / Efforts at Loosing Vast Force is Called Fruitless,' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (29 December 1934); it was only after the breakthroughs by and others in producing nuclear chain reactions that the use of nuclear power became plausible. • In light of knowledge obtained, the happy achievement seems almost a matter of course, and any intelligent student can grasp it without too much trouble. But the years of anxious searching in the dark, with their intense longing, their alternations of confidence and exhaustion, and final emergence into light—only those who have experienced it can understand that. • 'Notes on the Origin of the General Theory of Relativity' (1934) Mein Weltbild, in Ideas and Opinions (1954) ed.,. • I never failed in mathematics.
Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus. • Response to being shown a 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' Column with the headline 'Greatest Living Mathematician Failed in Mathematics' in 1935.
Quoted in Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson (2007), • All of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking. • 'Physics and Reality' in the Journal of the Franklin Institute Vol.
221, Issue 3 (March 1936) • Variant translation: 'The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.' As it appears in the 'Physics and Reality' section of the book 'Out of My Later Years' by Albert Einstein (1950) • It has often been said, and certainly not without justification, that the man of science is a poor philosopher. Why then should it not be the right thing for the physicist to let the philosopher do the philosophizing? Such might indeed be the right thing to do at a time when the physicist believes he has at his disposal a rigid system of fundamental laws which are so well established that waves of doubt can't reach them; but it cannot be right at a time when the very foundations of physics itself have become problematic as they are now.
At a time like the present, when experience forces us to seek a newer and more solid foundation, the physicist cannot simply surrender to the philosopher the critical contemplation of theoretical foundations; for he himself knows best and feels more surely where the shoe pinches. In looking for an new foundation, he must try to make clear in his own mind just how far the concepts which he uses are justified, and are necessities. • 'Physics and Reality' in the Journal of the Franklin Institute Vol. 221, Issue 3 (March 1936), Pages 349-382. Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this. • One may say 'the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.'
• From the article 'Physics and Reality' (March 1936), reprinted in Out of My Later Years (1956). The quotation marks may just indicate that he wants to present this as a new aphorism, but it could possibly indicate that he is paraphrasing or quoting someone else — perhaps, since in the next sentence he says 'It is one of the great realizations of Immanuel Kant that the setting up of a real external world would be senseless without this comprehensibility.' Other variants: • The eternally incomprehensible thing about the world is its comprehensibility. • In the endnotes to Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson, note 46 on says that 'Gerald Holton says that this is more properly translated' as the variant above, citing Holton's essay 'What Precisely is Thinking?' 161 of Einstein: A Centenary Volume edited by Anthony Philip French. • The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.
• This version was given in Einstein: A Biography (1954) by Antonina Vallentin, p. 24, and widely quoted afterwards.
Vallentin cites 'Physics and Reality' in Journal of the Franklin Institute (March 1936), and is possibly giving a variant translation as with Holton. • The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible. • As quoted in Speaking of Science (2000) by Michael Fripp • The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle.
• As quoted in Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson,. In the original essay 'The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle' appears at the end of the paragraph that follows the paragraph in which 'The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility' appears. • Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that some spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe, one that is vastly superior to that of man.
• Letter to Phyllis Wright (January 24, 1936), published in Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein's Letters to and from Children (Prometheus Books, 2002), p. 129 • All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. It is no mere chance that our older universities developed from clerical schools.
Both churches and universities — insofar as they live up to their true function — serve the ennoblement of the individual. They seek to fulfill this great task by spreading moral and cultural understanding, renouncing the use of brute force. The essential unity of ecclesiastical and secular institutions was lost during the 19th century, to the point of senseless hostility. Yet there was never any doubt as to the striving for culture. No one doubted the sacredness of the goal. It was the approach that was disputed.
• 'Moral Decay' (1937); Later published in Out of My Later Years (1950) • Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world. In our endeavor to understand reality we are somewhat like a man trying to understand the mechanism of a closed watch. He sees the face and the moving hands, even hears its ticking, but he has no way of opening the case. If he is ingenious he may form some picture of a mechanism which could be responsible for all the things he observes, but he may never be quite sure his picture is the only one which could explain his observations.
He will never be able to compare his picture with the real mechanism and he cannot even imagine the possibility or the meaning of such a comparison. But he certainly believes that, as his knowledge increases, his picture of reality will become simpler and simpler and will explain a wider and wider range of his sensuous impressions. He may also believe in the existence of the ideal limit of knowledge and that it is approached by the human mind. He may call this ideal limit the objective truth.
• The Evolution of Physics (1938) (co-written with ) • Fundamental ideas play the most essential role in forming a physical theory. Books on physics are full of complicated mathematical formulae. But thought and ideas, not formulae, are the beginning of every physical theory. The ideas must later take the mathematical form of a quantitative theory, to make possible the comparison with experiment. • The Evolution of Physics (1938) (co-written with ) • The moral decline we are compelled to witness and the suffering it engenders are so oppressive that one cannot ignore them even for a moment. No matter how deeply one immerses oneself in work, a haunting feeling of inescapable tragedy persists.
Still, there are moments when one feels free from one's own identification with human limitations and inadequacies. At such moments, one imagines that one stands on some spot of a small planet, gazing in amazement at the cold yet profoundly moving beauty of the eternal, the unfathomable: life and death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor destiny; only being. • Letter to Queen Mother Elisabeth of Belgium (9 January 1939), asking for her help in getting an elderly cousin of his out of Germany and into Belgium. Quoted in Einstein on Peace edited by Otto Nathan and Heinz Norden (1960), p. 282 • The standard bearers have grown weak in the defense of their priceless heritage, and the powers of darkness have been strengthened thereby.
Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character; it becomes lack of power to act with courage proportionate to danger. All this must lead to the destruction of our intellectual life unless the danger summons up strong personalities able to fill the lukewarm and discouraged with new strength and resolution. • Speech made in honor of Thomas Mann in January 1939, when Mann was given the Einstein Prize given by the Jewish Forum. Quoted in Einstein Lived Here by Abraham Pais (1994), • Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth. • Statement on the occasion of Gandhi's 70th birthday (1939) Einstein archive 32-601, published in (1950). • Variant: Generations to come, it may be, will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.
• Some recent work by E. Fermi and, which has been communicated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future. Certain aspects of the situation seem to call for watchfulness and, if necessary, quick action on the part of the Administration. This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable—though much less certain—that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat or exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory.
However, such bombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation by air. • Letter to President (August 2, 1939, delivered October 11, 1939); reported in Einstein on Peace, ed. Otto Nathan and Heinz Norden (1960, reprinted 1981), pp. 294–95 Wisehart interview (1930) [ ] • Every man knows that in his work he does best and accomplishes most when he has attained a proficiency that enables him to work intuitively.
That is, there are things which we come to know so well that we do not know how we know them. So it seems to me in matters of principle. Perhaps we live best and do things best when we are not too conscious of how and why we do them. • I do not believe in a God who maliciously or arbitrarily interferes in the personal affairs of mankind. My religion consists of an humble admiration for the vast power which manifests itself in that small part of the universe which our poor, weak minds can grasp!
• Much reading after a certain age diverts the mind from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking, just as the man who spends too much time in the theaters is apt to be content with living vicariously instead of living his own life. • I have only two rules which I regard as principles of conduct. The first is: Have no rules.
The second is: Be independent of the opinion of others. Wisehart, A Close Look at the World's Greatest Thinker, American Magazine, June 1930. Quotes from the interview appear on pp. 52-53 of by Charles Fillmore Religion and Science (1930) [ ].
A contemporary has rightly said that the only deeply of our largely age are the earnest men of research. • Everything that men do or think concerns the satisfaction of the needs they feel or the escape from pain. This must be kept in mind when we seek to understand spiritual or intellectual movements and the way in which they develop. For feelings and longings are the motive forces of all human striving and productivity—however nobly these latter may display themselves to us.
• Wording in Ideas and Opinions: Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain. One has to keep this constantly in mind if one wishes to understand spiritual movements and their development. Feeling and longing are the motive force behind all human endeavor and human creation, in however exalted a guise the latter may present themselves to us. • The longing for guidance, for love and succor, provides the stimulus for the growth of a social or moral conception of God.
This is the God of Providence, who protects, decides, rewards and punishes. This is the God who, according to man's widening horizon, loves and provides for the life of the race, or of mankind, or who even loves life itself. He is the comforter in unhappiness and in unsatisfied longing, the protector of the souls of the dead. This is the social or moral idea of God.
• Wording in Ideas and Opinions: The desire for guidance, love, and support prompts men to form the social or moral conception of God. This is the God of Providence, who protects, disposes, rewards, and punishes; the God who, according to the limits of the believer's outlook, loves and cherishes the life of the tribe or of the human race, or even of life itself; the comforter in sorrow and unsatisfied longing; he who preserves the souls of the dead. This is the social or moral conception of God. • It is easy to follow in the sacred writings of the Jewish people the development of the religion of fear into the moral religion, which is carried further in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially those of the Orient, are principally moral religions. An important advance in the life of a people is the transformation of the religion of fear into the moral religion.
But one must avoid the prejudice that regards the religions of primitive peoples as pure fear religions and those of the civilized races as pure moral religions. All are mixed forms, though the moral element predominates in the higher levels of social life. • Wording in Ideas and Opinions: The Jewish scriptures admirably illustrate the development from the religion of fear to moral religion, a development continued in the New Testament. The religions of all civilized peoples, especially the peoples of the Orient, are primarily moral religions. The development from a religion of fear to moral religion is a great step in peoples' lives.
And yet, that primitive religions are based entirely on fear and the religions of civilized peoples purely on morality is a prejudice against which we must be on our guard. The truth is that all religions are a varying blend of both types, with this differentiation: that on the higher levels of social life the religion of morality predominates. • Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of the idea of God. Only exceptionally gifted individuals or especially noble communities rise essentially above this level; in these there is found a third level of religious experience, even if it is seldom found in a pure form. I will call it the cosmic religious sense. This is hard to make clear to those who do not experience it, since it does not involve an anthropomorphic idea of God; the individual feels the vanity of human desires and aims, and the nobility and marvelous order which are revealed in nature and in the world of thought.
He feels the individual destiny as an imprisonment and seeks to experience the totality of existence as a unity full of significance. Indications of this cosmic religious sense can be found even on earlier levels of development—for example, in the Psalms of David and in the Prophets. The cosmic element is much stronger in Buddhism, as, in particular, 's magnificent essays have shown us. The religious geniuses of all times have been distinguished by this cosmic religious sense, which recognizes neither dogmas nor God made in man's image.
Consequently there cannot be a church whose chief doctrines are based on the cosmic religious experience. It comes about, therefore, that we find precisely among the heretics of all ages men who were inspired by this highest religious experience; often they appeared to their contemporaries as atheists, but sometimes also as saints.
Viewed from this angle, men like,, and are near to one another. • Wording in Ideas and Opinions: Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level.
But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.
The individual feels the futility of human desires and aims and the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. Individual existence impresses him as a sort of prison and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole.
The beginnings of cosmic religious feeling already appear at an early stage of development, e.g., in many of the Psalms of David and in some of the Prophets. Buddhism, as we have learned especially from the wonderful writings of Schopenhauer, contains a much stronger element of this. The religious geniuses of all ages have been distinguished by this kind of religious feeling, which knows no dogma and no God conceived in man's image; so that there can be no church whose central teachings are based on it.
Hence it is precisely among the heretics of every age that we find men who were filled with this highest kind of religious feeling and were in many cases regarded by their contemporaries as atheists, sometimes also as saints. Looked at in this light, men like Democritus, Francis of Assisi, and Spinoza are closely akin to one another.
• How can this cosmic religious experience be communicated from man to man, if it cannot lead to a definite conception of God or to a theology? It seems to me that the most important function of art and of science is to arouse and keep alive this feeling in those who are receptive. • Wording in Ideas and Opinions: How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology?
In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it. • For any one who is pervaded with the sense of causal law in all that happens, who accepts in real earnest the assumption of causality, the idea of Being who interferes with the sequence of events in the world is absolutely impossible. Neither the religion of fear nor the social-moral religion can have any hold on him.
A God who rewards and punishes is for him unthinkable, because man acts in accordance with an inner and outer necessity, and would, in the eyes of God, be as little responsible as an inanimate object is for the movements which it makes. Science, in consequence, has been accused of undermining morals—but wrongly. The ethical behavior of man is better based on sympathy, education and social relationships, and requires no support from religion. Man's plight would, indeed, be sad if he had to be kept in order through fear of punishment and hope of rewards after death.
• Wording in Ideas and Opinions: The man who is thoroughly convinced of the universal operation of the law of causation cannot for a moment entertain the idea of a being who interferes in the course of events — provided, of course, that he takes the hypothesis of causality really seriously. He has no use for the religion of fear and equally little for social or moral religion. A God who rewards and punishes is inconceivable to him for the simple reason that a man's actions are determined by necessity, external and internal, so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsible, any more than an inanimate object is responsible for the motions it undergoes.
Science has therefore been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hopes of reward after death.
• Variant: 'It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere' has been as a statement that precedes the last three sentences here, but in fact this is a separate quote from a 1947 letter Einstein wrote to Murray W. Gross, included in the section below (and in the letter the word used is 'anthropomorphic,' not 'anthropological').
• It is, therefore, quite natural that the churches have always fought against science and have persecuted its supporters. But, on the other hand, I assert that the cosmic religious experience is the strongest and noblest driving force behind scientific research.
No one who does not appreciate the terrific exertions, and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer creations in scientific thought cannot come into being, can judge the strength of the feeling out of which alone such work, turned away as it is from immediate practical life, can grow. What a deep faith in the rationality of the structure of the world and what a longing to understand even a small glimpse of the reason revealed in the world there must have been in and to enable them to unravel the mechanism of the heavens in long years of lonely work! Any one who only knows scientific research in its practical applications may easily come to a wrong interpretation of the state of mind of the men who, surrounded by skeptical contemporaries, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered over all countries in all centuries. Only those who have dedicated their lives to similar ends can have a living conception of the inspiration which gave these men the power to remain loyal to their purpose in spite of countless failures.
It is the cosmic religious sense which grants this power. A contemporary has rightly said that the only deeply religious people of our largely materialistic age are the earnest men of research. • Wording in Ideas and Opinions: It is therefore easy to see why the churches have always fought science and persecuted its devotees.
On the other hand, I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research. Only those who realize the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer work in theoretical science cannot be achieved are able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of which alone such work, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life, can issue. What a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and what a yearning to understand, were it but a feeble reflection of the mind revealed in this world, Kepler and Newton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanics! Those whose acquaintance with scientific research is derived chiefly from its practical results easily develop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who, surrounded by a skeptical world, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide through the world and through the centuries.
Only one who has devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid realization of what has inspired these men and given them the strength to remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength. A contemporary has said, not unjustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific workers are the only profoundly religious people.
Mein Weltbild (My World-view) (1931) [ ]. 's saying, that 'a man can do as he, but not will as he will,' has been an to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing well-spring of in the face of the hardships of.
'Mein Weltbild' (1931) ['My World-view', or 'My View of the World' or 'The World as I See It'], translated as the title essay of the book (1949). Various translated editions have been published of this essay; or portions of it, including one titled 'What I Believe'; another compilation which includes it is Ideas and Opinions (1954) • How strange is the lot of us mortals!
Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people — first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving..
• I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labour of my fellow-men. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally. • In human freedom in the philosophical sense I am definitely a disbeliever. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity. 's saying, that ' a man can do as he will, but not will as he will,' has been an inspiration to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing well-spring of patience in the face of the hardships of life, my own and others'.
This feeling mercifully mitigates the sense of responsibility which so easily becomes paralyzing, and it prevents us from taking ourselves and other people too seriously; it conduces to a view of life in which humor, above all, has its due place. • I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves — this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.
Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts — possessions, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible. • Variant translation: I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves — such an ethical basis I call more proper for a herd of swine. The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
Without the sense of fellowship with men of like mind, of preoccupation with the objective, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific research, life would have seemed to me empty. The ordinary objects of human endeavor — property, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible. • I gang my own gait and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties I have never lost an obstinate sense of detachment, of the need for solitude — a feeling which increases with the years. • Variant translation: I am truly a 'lone traveler' and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude. The most we can have is the.
It is the fundamental that stands at the cradle of true and true. • The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.
It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man. • Variant translations: The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.
He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion.
A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms — it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. • The finest emotion of which we are capable is the mystic emotion. Herein lies the germ of all art and all true science. Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man.
To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties — this knowledge, this feeling that is the core of the true religious sentiment. In this sense, and in this sense alone, I rank myself among profoundly religious men. • As quoted in After Einstein: Proceedings of the Einstein Centennial Celebration (1981) by Peter Barker and Cecil G. 179 • The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. • As quoted in Introduction to Philosophy (1935) by George Thomas White Patrick and Frank Miller Chapman, p.
44 • The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man.'
• He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. • I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty.
Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms. • As quoted in European Civilization and Politics Since 1815 (1938) by Erik Achorn, p.
Amd in his obituary in The New York Times (19 April 1955) • Variant translation: I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls.
• As quoted in The Heretic's Handbook of Quotations: Cutting Comments on Burning Issues (1992) by Charles Bufe, p. 186 • It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in nature. • As quoted in Introduction to Philosophy (1935) by George Thomas White Patrick and Frank Miller Chapman, p. 44 • Variant translations: • I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence — as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.
• Enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvellous structure of reality, together with the single-hearted endeavor to comprehend a portion, be it never so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature. My Credo (1932) [ ]. Not only the impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious of our of. • It would not be difficult to come to an agreement as to what we understand by science. Science is the century-old endeavor to bring together by means of systematic thought the perceptible phenomena of this world into as thoroughgoing an association as possible. To put it boldly, it is the attempt at the posterior reconstruction of existence by the process of conceptualization.
But when asking myself what religion is I cannot think of the answer so easily. And even after finding an answer which may satisfy me at this particular moment, I still remain convinced that I can never under any circumstances bring together, even to a slight extent, the thoughts of all those who have given this question serious consideration.
• A person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings, and aspirations to which he clings because of their superpersonal value. It seems to me that what is important is the force of this superpersonal content and the depth of the conviction concerning its overpowering meaningfulness, regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a divine Being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count and as religious personalities.
Accordingly, a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance and loftiness of those superpersonal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation. They exist with the same necessity and matter-of-factness as he himself. In this sense religion is the age-old endeavor of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary.
• A conflict arises when a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the Bible. This means an intervention on the part of religion into the sphere of science; this is where the struggle of the Church against the doctrines of Galileo and Darwin belongs. On the other hand, representatives of science have often made an attempt to arrive at fundamental judgments with respect to values and ends on the basis of scientific method, and in this way have set themselves in opposition to religion. These conflicts have all sprung from fatal errors.
• Even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other, nevertheless there exist between the two strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies. Though religion may be that which determines the goal, it has, nevertheless, learned from science, in the broadest sense, what means will contribute to the attainment of the goals it has set up. But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding.
This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. Though I have asserted above that in truth a legitimate conflict between religion and science cannot exist, I must nevertheless qualify this assertion once again on an essential point, with reference to the actual content of historical religions. This qualification has to do with the concept of God.
During the youthful period of mankind's spiritual evolution human fantasy created gods in man's own image, who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine, or at any rate to influence, the phenomenal world. Man sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his own favor by means of magic and prayer. The idea of God in the religions taught at present is a sublimation of that old concept of the gods. Its anthropomorphic character is shown, for instance, by the fact that men appeal to the Divine Being in prayers and plead for the fulfillment of their wishes.
• Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just, and omnibeneficent personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every human action, every human thought, and every human feeling and aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty Being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
The main source of the present-day conflicts between the spheres of religion and of science lies in this concept of a personal God. • When the number of factors coming into play in a phenomenological complex is too large, scientific method in most cases fails us. One need only think of the weather, in which case prediction even for a few days ahead is impossible.
Nevertheless no one doubts that we are confronted with a causal connection whose causal components are in the main known to us. Occurrences in this domain are beyond the reach of exact prediction because of the variety of factors in operation, not because of any lack of order in nature. • The more a man is imbued with the ordered regularity of all events the firmer becomes his conviction that there is no room left by the side of this ordered regularity for causes of a different nature.
For him neither the rule of human nor the rule of divine will exists as an independent cause of natural events. To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted, in the real sense, by science, for this doctrine can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot. But I am persuaded that such behavior on the part of the representatives of religion would not only be unworthy but also fatal. For a doctrine which is able to maintain itself not in clear light but only in the dark, will of necessity lose its effect on mankind, with incalculable harm to human progress.
In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope which in the past placed such vast power in the hands of priests. In their labors they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself.
This is, to be sure, a more difficult but an incomparably more worthy task. • If it is one of the goals of religion to liberate mankind as far as possible from the bondage of egocentric cravings, desires, and fears, scientific reasoning can aid religion in yet another sense. Although it is true that it is the goal of science to discover rules which permit the association and foretelling of facts, this is not its only aim. It also seeks to reduce the connections discovered to the smallest possible number of mutually independent conceptual elements.
It is in this striving after the rational unification of the manifold that it encounters its greatest successes, even though it is precisely this attempt which causes it to run the greatest risk of falling a prey to illusions. But whoever has undergone the intense experience of successful advances made in this domain is moved by profound reverence for the rationality made manifest in existence. By way of the understanding he achieves a far-reaching emancipation from the shackles of personal hopes and desires, and thereby attains that humble attitude of mind toward the grandeur of reason incarnate in existence, and which, in its profoundest depths, is inaccessible to man. This attitude, however, appears to me to be religious, in the highest sense of the word. And so it seems to me that science not only purifies the religious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious spiritualization of our understanding of life. The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. Only Then Shall We Find Courage (1946) [ ].
The of were, in a way, in the art of. • Does there truly exist an insuperable contradiction between religion and science? Can religion be superseded by science?
The answers to these questions have, for centuries, given rise to considerable dispute and, indeed, bitter fighting. Yet, in my own mind there can be no doubt that in both cases a dispassionate consideration can only lead to a negative answer. What complicates the solution, however, is the fact that while most people readily agree on what is meant by 'science,' they are likely to differ on the meaning of 'religion.' • Science, in the immediate, produces knowledge and, indirectly, means of action. It leads to methodical action if definite goals are set up in advance. For the function of setting up goals and passing statements of value transcends its domain. While it is true that science, to the extent of its grasp of causative connections, may reach important conclusions as to the compatibility and incompatibility of goals and evaluations, the independent and fundamental definitions regarding goals and values remain beyond science's reach.
As regards religion, on the other hand, one is generally agreed that it deals with goals and evaluations and, in general, with the emotional foundation of human thinking and acting, as far as these are not predetermined by the inalterable hereditary disposition of the human species. Religion is concerned with man's attitude toward nature at large, with the establishing of ideals for the individual and communal life, and with mutual human relationship. These ideals religion attempts to attain by exerting an educational influence on tradition and through the development and promulgation of certain easily accessible thoughts and narratives (epics and myths) which are apt to influence evaluation and action along the lines of the accepted ideals. • It is this mythical, or rather this symbolic, content of the religious traditions which is likely to come into conflict with science.
This occurs whenever this religious stock of ideas contains dogmatically fixed statements on subjects which belong in the domain of science. Thus, it is of vital importance for the preservation of true religion that such conflicts be avoided when they arise from subjects which, in fact, are not really essential for the pursuance of the religious aims. • The moral attitudes of a people that is supported by religion need always aim at preserving and promoting the sanity and vitality of the community and its individuals, since otherwise this community is bound to perish. A people that were to honor falsehood, defamation, fraud, and murder would be unable, indeed, to subsist for very long. • The great moral teachers of humanity were, in a way, artistic geniuses in the art of living.
• While religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra. Everywhere, in economic as well as in political life, the guiding principle is one of ruthless striving for success at the expense of one's fellow men. This competitive spirit prevails even in school and, destroying all feelings of human fraternity and cooperation, conceives of achievement not as derived from the love for productive and thoughtful work, but as springing from personal ambition and fear of rejection. There are pessimists who hold that such a state of affairs is necessarily inherent in human nature; it is those who propound such views that are the enemies of true religion, for they imply thereby that religious teachings are Utopian ideals and unsuited to afford guidance in human affairs. The study of the social patterns in certain so-called primitive cultures, however, seems to have made it sufficiently evident that such a defeatist view is wholly unwarranted.
• While it is true that scientific results are entirely independent from religious or moral considerations, those individuals to whom we owe the great creative achievements of science were all of them imbued with the truly religious conviction that this universe of ours is something perfect and susceptible to the rational striving for knowledge. If this conviction had not been a strongly emotional one and if those searching for knowledge had not been inspired by Spinoza's Amor Dei Intellectualis, they would hardly have been capable of that untiring devotion which alone enables man to attain his greatest achievements. 'Autobiographical Notes' (1949) [ ] Published in (1949) edited.
Reprinted in A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion: The Essential Scientific Works of Albert Einstein (2009) edited by,. • Even when I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality. Moreover, I soon discovered the cruelty of that chase, which in those years was much more carefully covered up by hypocrisy and glittering words than is the case today.
Telekinesis 12 Desperate Straight Lines Zip Hooded here. By the mere existence of his stomach everyone was condemned to participate in that chase. Moreover, it was possible to satisfy the stomach by such participation, but not man in so far as he is a thinking and feeling being.
As the first way out there was religion, which is implanted into every child by way of the traditional education-machine. Thus I came—despite the fact that I was the son of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents—to a deep religiosity, which, however, found an abrupt ending at the age of 12. Through the reading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic [orgy of] freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression. Suspicion against every kind of authority grew out of this experience, a skeptical attitude towards the convictions which were alive in any specific social environment—an attitude which has never again left me, even though later on, because of a better insight into the causal connections, it lost some of its original poignancy.
• It is quite clear to me that the religious paradise of youth, which was thus lost, was a first attempt to free myself from the chains of the 'merely-personal,' from an existence which is dominated by wishes, hopes and primitive feelings. Out yonder there was this huge world, which exists independently of us human beings and which stands before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partially accessible to our inspection and thinking. The contemplation of this world beckoned like a liberation, and I soon noticed that many a man whom I had learned to esteem and to admire had found inner freedom and security in devoted occupation with it. The mental grasp of this extrapersonal world within the frame of the given possibilites swam as highest aim half consciously and half unconsciously before my mind's eye.
Similarly motivated men of the present and of the past, as well as the insights which they had achieved, were the friends which could not be lost. The road to this paradise was not as comfortable and alluring as the road to the religious paradise; but it has proved itself as trustworthy, and I have never regretted having chosen it. • For me it is not dubious that our thinking goes on for the most part without use of signs (words) and beyond that to a considerable degree unconsciously. For how, otherwise, should it happen that sometimes we 'wonder' quite spontaneously about some experience? This 'wondering' seems to occur when an experience comes into conflict with a world of concepts which is already sufficiently fixed in us. Whenever such a conflict is experienced hard and intensively it reacts back upon our thought world in a decisive way. The development of this thought world is in a certain sense a continuous flight from 'wonder.'
• A wonder of such nature I experienced as a child of 4 or 5 years, when my father showed me a compass. That this needle behaved in such a determined way did not at all fit into the nature of events, which could find a place in the unconscious world of concepts (effect connected with direct 'touch'). I can still remember—or at least believe I can remember—that this experience made a deep and lasting impression upon me. Something deeply hidden had to be behind things.
What man sees before him from infancy causes no reaction of this kind; he is not surprised over the falling of bodies, concerning wind and rain, nor concerning the moon or about the fact that the moon does not fall down, nor concerning the differences between living and non-living matter. At the age of 12 I experienced a second wonder of a totally different nature: in a little book dealing with Euclidean plane geometry, which came into my hands at the beginning of a schoolyear.
Here were assertions, as for example the intersection of the three altitudes of a triangle in one point, which—though by no means evident—could nevertheless be proved with such certainty that any doubt appeared to be out of the question. This lucidity and certainty made an indescribable impression upon me. That the axioms had to be accepted unproved did not disturb me. In any case it was quite sufficient for me if I could peg proofs upon propositions the validity of which did not seem to me to be dubious. • [O]ne had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect [upon me] that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year.
• It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreck and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty. • A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises is, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended is its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of the applicability of its basic concepts, it will never be overthrown (for the special attention of those who are skeptics on principle).
• Reflections of this type made it clear to me as long ago as shortly after 1900, i.e., shortly after Planck's trailblazing work, that neither mechanics nor electrodynamics could (except in limiting cases) claim exact validity. By and by I despaired of the possibility of discovering the true laws by means of constructive efforts based on known facts. The longer and the more despairingly I tried, the more I came to the conviction that only the discovery of a universal formal principle could lead us to assured results.... How, then, could such a universal principle be found? After ten years of reflection such a principle resulted from a paradox upon which I had already hit at the age of sixteen: If I pursue a beam of light with the velocity c (velocity of light in a vacuum), I should observe such a beam as a spatially oscillatory electromagnetic field at rest.
However, there seems to be no such thing, whether on the bases of experience or according to Maxwell's equations. From the very beginning it appeared to me intuitively clear that, judged from the stand-point of such an observer, everything would have to happen according to the same laws as for an observer who, relative to the earth, was at rest.
'Einstein's Reply to Criticisms' (1949) [ ] • I now imagine a quantum theoretician who may even admit that the quantum-theoretical description refers to ensembles of systems and not to individual systems, but who, nevertheless, clings to the idea that the type of description of the statistical quantum theory will, in its essential features, be retained in the future. He may argue as follows: True, I admit that the quantum-theoretical description is an incomplete description of the individual system. I even admit that a complete theoretical description is, in principle, thinkable.
But I consider it proven that the search for such a complete description would be aimless. For the lawfulness of nature is thus constituted that the laws can be completely and suitably formulated within the framework of our incomplete description.
• To this I can only reply as follows: Your point of view — taken as theoretical possibility — is incontestable. For me, however, the expectation that the adequate formulation of the universal laws involves the use of all conceptual elements which are necessary for a complete description, is more natural. It is furthermore not at all surprising that, by using an incomplete description, (in the main) only statistical statements can be obtained out of such description. If it should be possible to move forward to a complete description, it is likely that the laws would represent relations among all the conceptual elements of this description which, per se, have nothing to do with statistics. • • Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, Cambridge University Press, 1949, p. 672 The World As I See It (1949) [ ] For the title essay in this work see above. The man who regards his own and that of his fellow creatures as is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for.
The Meaning of Life • What is the, or of organic life altogether? To answer this question at all implies a religion. Is there any sense then, you ask, in putting it? I answer, the man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for life. Good and Evil • The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained to liberation from the self.
Society and Personality • When we survey our lives and endeavors we soon observe that almost the whole of our actions and desires are bound up with the existence of other human beings. We see that our whole nature resembles that of the social animals. We eat food that others have grown, wear clothes that others have made, live in houses that others have built. The greater part of our knowledge and beliefs has been communicated to us by other people through the medium of a language which others have created.
Without language our mental capacities would be poor indeed, comparable to those of the higher animals; we have, therefore, to admit that we owe our principal advantage over the beasts to the fact of living in human society. The individual, if left alone from birth would remain primitive and beast-like in his thoughts and feelings to a degree that we can hardly conceive.
The individual is what he is and has the significance that he has not so much in virtue of his individuality, but rather as a member of a great human society, which directs his material and spiritual existence from the cradle to the grave. The example of and characters is the only thing that can produce fine and. • A man's value to the community depends primarily on how far his feelings, thoughts, and actions are directed towards promoting the good of his fellows. We call him good or bad according to how he stands in this matter.
It looks at first sight as if our estimate of a man depended entirely on his social qualities. And yet such an attitude would be wrong. It is clear that all the valuable things, material, spiritual, and moral, which we receive from society can be traced back through countless generations to certain creative individuals. The use of fire, the cultivation of edible plants, the steam engine — each was discovered by one man. Only the individual can think, and thereby create new values for society — nay, even set up new moral standards to which the life of the community conforms.
Without creative, independently thinking and judging personalities the upward development of society is as unthinkable as the development of the individual personality without the nourishing soil of the community. The health of society thus depends quite as much on the independence of the individuals composing it as on their close political cohesion.
Of Wealth • I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure characters is the only thing that can produce fine ideas and noble deeds.
Money only appeals to selfishness and always tempts its owners irresistibly to abuse it. Can anyone imagine,, or armed with the money-bags of? Religion in Science • You will hardly find one among the profounder sort of scientific minds without a peculiar religious feeling of his own. But it is different from the religion of the naive man. For the latter God is a being from whose care one hopes to benefit and whose punishment one fears; a sublimation of a feeling similar to that of a child for its father, a being to whom one stands to some extent in a personal relation, however deeply it may be tinged with awe. But the scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation. The future, to him, is every whit as necessary and determined as the past.
There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair. His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. This feeling is the guiding principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages. Greeting to G. Bernard Shaw • There are few enough people with sufficient independence to see the weaknesses and follies of their contemporaries and remain themselves untouched by them. And these isolated few usually soon lose their zeal for putting things to rights when they have come face to face with human obduracy.
Only to a tiny minority is it given to fascinate their generation by subtle humour and grace and to hold the mirror up to it by the impersonal agency of art. To-day I salute with sincere emotion the supreme master of this method, who has delighted — and educated — us all. Some Notes on my American Impressions first published as 'My First Impression of the U.S.A.' (1921) • The cult of individual personalities is always, in my view, unjustified.
To be sure, nature distributes her gifts variously among her children. But there are plenty of the well-endowed ones too, thank God, and I am firmly convinced that most of them live quiet, unregarded lives. It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few of them for boundless admiration, attributing superhuman powers of mind and character to them.
This has been my fate, and the contrast between the popular estimate of my powers and achievements and the reality is simply grotesque. The consciousness of this extraordinary state of affairs would be unbearable but for one great consoling thought: it is a welcome symptom in an age which is commonly denounced as materialistic, that it makes heroes of men whose ambitions lie wholly in the intellectual and moral sphere.
This proves that knowledge and justice are ranked above wealth and power by a large section of the human race. My experience teaches me that this idealistic outlook is particularly prevalent in America, which is usually decried as a particularly materialistic country. • The United States is the most powerful technically advanced country in the world to-day. Its influence on the shaping of international relations is absolutely incalculable. But America is a large country and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today. This must be changed, if only in the essential interests of the Americans. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven.
The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round.
Letter to a Friend of Peace • Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts Production and Work • Bureaucracy is the death of all sound work. If one purges the of the and as taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a which is capable of curing all the ills of. Christianity and Judaism • If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can. If he makes an honest attempt in this direction without being crushed and trampled under foot by his contemporaries, he may consider himself and the community to which he belongs lucky. Unconfirmed: The following quotes have been cited as being from The World As I See It but are not in later abridged editions of the original 1949 book and thus these citations are not yet confirmed. • May the conscience and the common sense of the peoples be awakened, so that we may reach a new stage in the life of nations, where people will look back on war as an incomprehensible aberration of their forefathers!
• The state is made for man, not man for the state. And in this respect science resembles the state. Why Socialism? Falling in is not at all the most thing that people do — but gravitation cannot be held responsible for it.
• Falling in love is not at all the most stupid thing that people do — but gravitation cannot be held responsible for it. • Jotted (in German) on the margins of a letter to him (1933), p.
56 • Unsourced variants: Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. / You can't blame gravity for falling in love. • Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it. • Letter to California student E. Holzapfel (March 1951) Einstein Archive 59-1013, p.
57 • In my opinion, condemning the Zionist movement as 'nationalistic' is unjustified. Consider the path by which came to his mission. Initially he had been completely cosmopolitan. But during the in Paris he suddenly realized with great clarity how precarious was the situation of the Jews in the western world.
And courageously he drew the conclusion that we are discriminated against or murdered not because we are Germans, Frenchmen, Americans, etc. Of the 'Jewish faith' but simply because we are Jews. Thus already our precarious situation forces us to stand together irrespective of our citizenship. Zionism gave the German Jews no great protection against annihilation. But it did give the survivors the inner strength to endure the debacle with dignity and without losing their healthy self respect. Keep in mind that perhaps a similar fate could be lying in wait for your children.
63-64 • Anonymity is no excuse for stupidity. 54 • My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. Morality is of the highest importance — but for us, not for God. 66 of the 1981 edition • It seems hard to sneak a look at God's cards. But that He plays dice and uses 'telepathic' methods.
Is something that I cannot believe for a single moment. • Letter to Cornel Lanczos (21 March 1942), p. And skills alone cannot lead to a and. Humanity has every to place the proclaimers of high standards and above the discoverers of objective. • Our time is distinguished by wonderful achievements in the fields of scientific understanding and the technical application of those insights. Who would not be cheered by this? But let us not forget that human knowledge and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life.
Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth. What humanity owes to personalities like,, and ranks for me higher than all the achievements of the enquiring and constructive mind.
What these blessed men have given us we must guard and try to keep alive with all our strength if humanity is not to lose its dignity, the security of its existence, and its joy in living. • Written statement (September 1937), p. Let us the is a. Is neither solely nor entirely., too, is more than flesh and; otherwise, no would have been possible. Behind each is still another cause; the or the of causes has yet to be found. William Hermanns, Einstein and the Poet: In Search of the Cosmic Man (1983). From a series of meetings Hermanns had with Einstein in 1930, 1943, 1948, and 1954, during which he took notes on what Einstein said (though it's unclear if he recorded the exact phrasing or filled in words from memory).
Another person present at the 1954 conversation offered his own slightly different transcription of Einstein's comments, which was published in the article from the 2 May, 1955 issue of Life Magazine. 'Einstein and the Poet' is viewable on Google Books.
First conversation (1930): • School failed me, and I failed the school. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam. What I hated most was the competitive system there, and especially sports.
Because of this, I wasn't worth anything, and several times they suggested I leave. This was a Catholic School in Munich. I felt that my thirst for knowledge was being strangled by my teachers; grades were their only measurement.
How can a teacher understand youth with such a system?... From the age of twelve I began to suspect authority and distrust teachers. I learned mostly at home, first from my uncle and then from a student who came to eat with us once a week.
He would give me books on physics and astronomy. The more I read, the more puzzled I was by the order of the universe and the disorder of the human mind, by the scientists who didn't agree on the how, the when, or the why of creation. Then one day this student brought me Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Reading Kant, I began to suspect everything I was taught. I no longer believed in the known God of the Bible, but rather in the mysterious God expressed in nature. 8 • The basic laws of the universe are simple, but because our senses are limited, we can't grasp them.
There is a pattern in creation. 10 • But we have higher mathematics, haven't we? This gives me freedom from my senses. The language of mathematics is even more inborn and universal than the language of music; a mathematical formula is crystal clear and independent of all sense organs. I therefore built a mathematical laboratory, set myself in it as if I were sitting in a car, and moved along with a beam of light.
11 • Since others have explained my theory, I can no longer understand it myself. 13 • Science is never finished because the human mind only uses a small portion of its capacity, and man's exploration of his world is also limited. If we look at this tree outside whose roots search beneath the pavement for water, or a flower which sends its sweet smell to the pollinating bees, or even our own selves and the inner forces that drive us to act, we can see that we all dance to a mysterious tune, and the piper who plays this melody from an inscrutable distance—whatever name we give him—Creative Force, or God—escapes all book knowledge. 14 • Many people think that the progress of the human race is based on experiences of an empirical, critical nature, but I say that true knowledge is to be had only through a philosophy of deduction. For it is intuition that improves the world, not just following a trodden path of thought.
Intuition makes us look at unrelated facts and then think about them until they can all be brought under one law. To look for related facts means holding onto what one has instead of searching for new facts. Intuition is the father of new knowledge, while is nothing but an accumulation of old knowledge.
Intuition, not intellect, is the 'open sesame' of yourself. 16 • What do you think of Spinoza? For me he is the ideal example of the cosmic man. He worked as an obscure diamond cutter, disdaining fame and a place at the table of the great. He tells us the importance of understanding our emotions and suggests what causes them. Man will never be free until he is able to direct his emotions to think clearly. Only then can he control his environment and preserve his energy for creative work.
26 • What a betrayal of man's dignity. He uses the highest gift, his mind, only ten percent, and his emotions and instincts ninety percent. 31 • Spoken on hearing German marchers singing war songs.
474 of Alice Calaprice's The Ultimate Quotable Einstein, she lists 'we only use 10 percent of our brain' as a quote 'misattributed to Einstein', perhaps this is the source of the misquote? Einstein seems to be speaking metaphorically here, not endorsing the that science has shown 90 percent of the neurons in our brain lie dormant.
And the myth dates back to before this interview, for example the book Mind Myths: Exploring Popular Assumptions About the Mind and Brain, edited by Sergio Della Salla, has a chapter by Barry L. Beyerstein titled 'Whence Cometh the Myth that We Only Use 10% of our Brains?' Which shows on p. 11 an advertisement from the 1929 World Almanac containing the line 'There is NO LIMIT to what the human brain can accomplish. Scientists and psychologists tell us we use only about TEN PER CENT of our brain power.' Second conversation (1943): • Matter is real to my senses, but they aren't trustworthy.
If or had accepted what they saw, they would never have discovered the movement of the earth and planets. 59 • Electromagnetic fields are not of the mind. Creation may be spiritual in origin, but that doesn't mean that everything created is spiritual. How can I explain such things to you? Let us the is a.
Is neither solely nor entirely., too, is more than flesh and; otherwise, no would have been possible. Behind each is still another cause; the or the of causes has yet to be found. Behind each cause is still another cause; the end or the beginning of all causes has yet to be found. Yet, only one thing must be remembered: there is no effect without a cause, and there is no lawlessness in creation'.
59 • If I hadn't an absolute faith in the harmony of creation, I wouldn't have tried for thirty years to express it in a mathematical formula. It is only man's consciousness of what he does with his mind that elevates him above the animals, and enables him to become aware of himself and his relationship to the universe. 61 • I believe that I have cosmic religious feelings.
I never could grasp how one could satisfy these feelings by praying to limited objects. The tree outside is life, a statue is dead.
The whole of nature is life, and life, as I observe it, rejects a God resembling man. I like to experience the universe as one harmonious whole.
Every cell has life. Matter, too, has life; it is energy solidified.
Our bodies are like prisons, and I look forward to be free, but I don't speculate on what will happen to me. I live here now, and my responsibility is in this world now.... I deal with natural laws.
This is my work here on earth. 64 • The world needs new moral impulses which, I'm afraid, won't come from the churches, heavily compromised as they have been throughout the centuries. Perhaps those impulses must come from scientists in the tradition of Galileo, Kepler and Newton. In spite of failures and persecutions, these men devoted their lives to proving that the universe is a single entity, in which, I believe, a humanized God has no place. The genuine scientist is not moved by praise or blame, nor does he preach. He unveils the universe and people come eagerly, without being pushed, to behold a new revelation: the order, the harmony, the magnificence of creation!
And as man becomes conscious of the stupendous laws that govern the universe in perfect harmony, he begins to realize how small he is. He sees the pettiness of human existence, with its ambitions and intrigues, its 'I am better than thou' creed. This is the beginning of cosmic religion within him; fellowship and human service become his moral code. And without such moral foundations, we are hopelessly doomed. 66 Third conversation (1948): • The God Spinoza revered is my God, too: I meet Him everyday in the harmonious laws which govern the universe. My religion is cosmic, and my God is too universal to concern himself with the intentions of every human being. I do not accept a religion of fear; My God will not hold me responsible for the actions that necessity imposes.
My God speaks to me through laws. 89 • I believe in one thing—that only a life lived for others is a life worth living. 91 • If we want to improve the world we cannot do it with scientific knowledge but with ideals.,, and have done more for than science has done. We must begin with the of man—with his —and the values of conscience can only be manifested by selfless service to mankind. In this respect, I feel that the Churches have much guilt.
She has always allied herself with those who rule, who have political power, and more often than not, at the expense of peace and humanity as a whole. 92 • and go together. As I've said before, science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.
They are interdependent and have a common goal—the search for truth. Hence it is absurd for religion to proscribe Galileo or Darwin or other scientists. And it is equally absurd when scientists say that there is no God.
The real scientist has faith, which does not mean that he must subscribe to a creed. Without religion there is no charity. The soul given to each of us is moved by the same living spirit that moves the universe. 94 • I believe that we don't need to worry about what happens after this life, as long as we do our duty here—to love and to serve. 94 • I have faith in the universe, for it is rational. Law underlies each happening.
And I have faith in my purpose here on earth. I have faith in my intuition, the language of my conscience, but I have no faith in speculation about Heaven and Hell. I'm concerned with this time—here and now. 94 • Philosophy is empty if it isn't based on science. Science discovers, philosophy interprets. 98 • And the traditional religions worry me.
Their long history proves that they have not understood the meaning of the commandment: Thou shalt not kill. If we want to save this world from unimaginable destruction we should concentrate not on the faraway God, but on the heart of the individual. We live now in an international anarchy in which a Third World War with nuclear weapons lies before our door.
We must make the individual man aware of his conscience so that he understands what it means that only a few will survive the next war. 98 • Indeed, it is not intellect, but intuition which advances humanity.
Intuition tells man his purpose in this life. 103 • I do not need any promise of eternity to be happy. My eternity is now. I have only one interest: to fulfill my purpose here where I am. This purpose is not given me by my parents or my surroundings.
It is induced by some unknown factors. These factors make me a part of eternity. 103 • I cannot conceive of anything after my physical death—perhaps it will end it all. The knowledge that I am now on this earth and a mysterious part of eternity is enough for me. My death will be an easy one, too, for since early youth I have always detached myself from family, friends, and surroundings. And should I live on, I have no fear of the next life.
Whatever good I did helped to free me from myself. What a miserable creature man would be if he were good not for the sake of being good, but because religion told him that he would get a reward after this life, and that if he weren't good he'd be punished.
104 • My God may not be your idea of God, but one thing I know of my God — he makes me a humanitarian. I am a proud Jew because we gave the world the Bible and the story of Joseph. 106 • America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people, troubles will be coming from within and without. America cannot smile away their Negro problem nor Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There are cosmic laws. 108 • [in response to a question about what was meant by his 'cosmic religion'] It is not a religion that teaches that man is made in the image of God—that is anthropomorphic. Man has infinite dimensions and finds God in his conscience.
This religion has no dogma other than teaching man that the universe is rational and that his highest destiny is to ponder it and co-create with its laws. There are only two limiting factors: first, that what seems impenetrable to us is as important as what is cut and dried; and, second, that our faculties are dull and can only comprehend wisdom and serene beauty in crude forms, but the heart of man through intuition leads us to greater understanding of ourselves and the universe. My religion is based on Moses: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. And for me God is the First Cause.
David and the prophets knew that there could be no love without justice or justice without love. I don't need any other religious trappings. 108 • I believe the main task of the spirit is to free man from his ego. 109 • But then, after all, we are all alike, for we are all derived from the monkey. 110 • If I had foreseen, I would have torn up my formula in 1905. 112 Fourth conversation (1954): • Wait a minute! I am not a mystic.
Trying to find out the laws of nature has nothing to do with mysticism, though in the face of creation I feel very humble. It is as if a spirit is manifest infinitely superior to man's spirit. Through my pursuit in science I have known cosmic religious feelings. But I don't care to be called a mystic. 117 • About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church.
As long as I can remember, I have resented mass indoctrination. I do not believe in the fear of life, in the fear of death, in blind faith. I cannot prove to you that there is no personal God, but if I were to speak of him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that.
His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws. 132 • Variant transcription from 'Death of a Genius' in Life Magazine: 'I cannot accept any concept of God based on the fear of life or the fear of death, or blind faith. I cannot prove to you that there is no personal God, but if I were to speak of him I would be a liar.' • You must warn people not to make the intellect their God. The intellect knows methods but it seldom knows values, and they come from feeling. If one doesn't play a part in the creative whole, he is not worth being called human.
He has betrayed his true purpose. 135 • Certainly there are things worth believing. I believe in the brotherhood of man and in personal originality. But if you asked me to prove what I believe, I couldn't. You can spend your whole life trying to prove what you believe; you may hunt for reasons, but it will all be in vain. Yet our beliefs are like our existence; they are facts. If you don't yet know what to believe in, then try to learn what you feel and desire.
136 • Variant transcription from 'Death of a Genius' in Life Magazine: 'Certainly there are things worth believing. I believe in the brotherhood of man and the uniqueness of the individual. But if you ask me to prove what I believe, I can't. You know them to be true but you could spend a whole lifetime without being able to prove them. The mind can proceed only so far upon what it knows and can prove.
There comes a point where the mind takes a leap—call it intuition or what you will—and comes out upon a higher plane of knowledge, but can never prove how it got there. All great discoveries have involved such a leap.' • Unsourced variant: 'The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery.
There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you do not know how or why. All great discoveries are made in this way.' The earliest published version of this variant appears to be The Human Side of Scientists by Ralph Edward Oesper (1975),, but no source is provided, and the similarity to the 'Life Magazine' quote above suggests it's likely a misquote. • It's not as simple as that. Knowledge is necessary, too. An intuitive child couldn't accomplish anything without some knowledge.
There will come a point in everyone's life, however, where only intuition can make the leap ahead, without ever knowing precisely how. One can never know why, but one must accept intuition as a fact. 137 • In response to statement 'You once told me that progress is made only by intuition, and not by the accumulation of knowledge.' • Variant transcription from 'Death of a Genius' in Life Magazine: 'It is not quite so simple. Knowledge is necessary too.
A child with great intuition could not grow up to become something worthwhile in life without some knowledge. However there comes a point in everyone's life where only intuition can make the leap ahead, without knowing precisely how.' : • Don't think about why you question, simply don't stop questioning. Don't worry about what you can't answer, and don't try to explain what you can't know. Curiosity is its own reason. Aren't you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality? And this is the miracle of the human mind—to use its constructions, concepts, and formulas as tools to explain what man sees, feels and touches.
Try to comprehend a little more each day. Have holy curiosity. 138 • Variant transcription from 'Death of a Genius' in Life Magazine: 'Then do not stop to think about the reasons for what you are doing, about why you are questioning. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reasons for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.
Never lose a holy curiosity.' • First you must have faith in an eternal world independent of you; then you must have faith in your ability to perceive it, and finally you must try to explain it by means of concepts or mathematical constructions. But don't always accept traditional concepts without reexamining them. Even overthrow my relativity theory, if you find a better one.... You must believe that the world was created as a unified whole which is comprehensible to man. Of course, it's going to take an infinitely long time to investigate this unified creation.
But to me that is the highest and most sacred duty—unifying physics. Simplicity is the criterion of the universe. 139 • Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living.
142 • Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value. Look around at how people want to get more out of life than they put in. A man of value will give more than he receives. Be creative, but make sure that what you create is not a curse for mankind. 143 • Variant transcription from 'Death of a Genius' in Life Magazine: 'Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.
He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives.' Einstein's God (1997) [ ] Einstein's God — Albert Einstein's Quest as a Scientist and as a Jew to Replace a Forsaken God (1997) by Robert N. Goldman • The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer.
'The Dismissal' redirects here. For other uses, see. The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, also known simply as the Dismissal, has been described as the greatest political and in.
It culminated on 11 November 1975 with the dismissal from office of the Prime Minister, of the (ALP), by, who then commissioned the, of the, as Prime Minister. Had been elected in 1972 with a small majority in the, but with the Opposition controlling the. Another election in 1974 resulted in little change. While the Whitlam Government introduced many new policies and programs, it was also rocked by scandals and political miscalculations. In October 1975, the Opposition used its control of the Senate to defer passage of, which finance governmental operations and which had been passed by the House of Representatives. The Opposition stated that they would continue to do so unless Whitlam called an election for the House of Representatives and urged Kerr to dismiss Whitlam unless he agreed to their demand.
Whitlam believed that Kerr would not dismiss him, and Kerr did nothing to disabuse Whitlam of this notion. On 11 November 1975, Whitlam intended to call a half-Senate election in an attempt to break the deadlock. When he went to seek Kerr's approval of the election, Kerr instead dismissed him as Prime Minister and shortly thereafter installed Fraser in his place. Acting quickly before all ALP parliamentarians became aware of the change of government, Fraser and his allies were able to secure passage of the appropriation bills, and Kerr dissolved Parliament for a election.
Fraser and his government were returned with a massive majority in the. The events of the Dismissal led to only minor constitutional change. The Senate retained its power to block supply, and the Governor-General the power to dismiss government ministers. However, these powers have not since been used to force a government from office. Kerr was widely criticised by ALP supporters for his actions, resigned early as Governor-General, and lived much of his remaining life abroad. Malcolm Fraser As established by the, the is composed of two houses, the and the, together with the.
The monarch is represented through the, who has executive powers granted in the Constitution, as well as rarely exercised. The reserve powers are the legal authorities remaining in the Crown after most of its historic powers were transferred to Parliament or to officials. The Governor-General ordinarily acts only upon the advice of the government, but can act independently and against advice in exercising the reserve powers. The Governor-General is removable by the Queen on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister. As Liberal Party leader Malcolm Fraser, who would play a large part in the crisis, put it, 'The Queen has tenure, and she couldn't be sacked. But a Governor-General holds office at pleasure, and if he ceases to please then he can be removed by a Prime Minister.' As in most parliaments, Australia's government is formed by the party enjoying the confidence of the lower House of Parliament, the House of Representatives.
However, Australia's Parliament also has a powerful upper house, the Senate, which must pass any legislation initiated by the House of Representatives if it is to become law. The composition of the Senate, in which each state has an equal number of senators regardless of that state's population, was originally designed to attract the Australian colonies into one Federation. The Constitution forbids the Senate to originate or amend a, but places no limitation on the Senate's ability to defeat one.
In 1970, Gough Whitlam, as Leader of the Opposition, had stated of a budget bill, 'Let me make it clear at the outset that our opposition to this Budget is no mere formality. We intend to press our opposition by all available means on all related measures in both Houses.
If the motion is defeated, we will vote against the Bills here and in the Senate. Our purpose is to destroy this Budget and destroy the Government which has sponsored it.' Prior to the 1975 crisis, the Governor-General's power to dismiss a Prime Minister against the incumbent's will under Section 64 of the Constitution had never been exercised. Twice since Federation, conflicts between and, who perform analogous functions to the Prime Minister and Governor-General respectively, at the state level, had resulted in the departure of one or the other. In 1916, New South Wales Premier was expelled from the for supporting conscription. He managed to hold on to power with the aid of opposition parties and consulted the Governor,, proposing to pass legislation to extend the term of the by a year.
When Strickland objected, stating that such a course was unfair to Labor, Holman had him replaced. In 1932 the New South Wales Labor Premier,, refused to pay moneys owing to the Federal government, which froze the state's bank accounts, causing Lang to order that payments to the state government be only in cash. The governor,, wrote to Lang, warning him that ministers were breaking the law, and that if they continued, he would have to obtain ministers who could carry on government within legal bounds. Lang replied that he would not resign, and and commissioned the Leader of the Opposition,, to form a caretaker government pending a new election, in which Labor was defeated. Among the powers granted to the Governor-General is the power to dissolve both houses of Parliament under Section 57 of the Constitution in the event that the House of Representatives twice passes a bill at least three months apart and the Senate will not agree to pass the bill. In both instances where those circumstances arose prior to the Whitlam Government, in 1914 and 1951, the Governor-General dissolved Parliament for a ' election on the advice of the Prime Minister. Political [ ] Gough Whitlam's Labor government was after 23 years of rule by formed by the and parties.
The ALP Government enjoyed a nine-seat majority in the House of Representatives, but did not control the Senate. In accordance with pre-election promises, it instituted a large number of policy changes, and offered much legislation. The Opposition, which still controlled the Senate, allowed some Government bills to pass the Senate, and blocked others. In April 1974, faced with attempts by the Opposition to obstruct supply (appropriation bills) in the Senate, Whitlam obtained the concurrence of the Governor-General, Sir, to a double dissolution. Labor was returned at the with a reduced House majority of five seats. The Coalition and Labor each had 29 Senate seats, with the balance of power held by two independents. Hasluck had been Governor-General since 1969, and his term was shortly due to expire.
Whitlam wanted him to remain a further two years, but Hasluck declined, citing 's refusal to remain at longer than the originally agreed five years. Whitlam offered the post to businessman, who turned it down. Whitlam then turned to, the Chief Justice of New South Wales. Kerr was reluctant to give up the Chief Justiceship, in which he intended to remain another ten years, for the Governor-General's post, which traditionally lasted five years. At Kerr's request, Whitlam informally agreed that if both men were still in office in five years, Kerr would be reappointed. Whitlam also secured legislation to address Kerr's financial concerns about the position, including authorising a pension for the Governor-General or his widow. The Leader of the Opposition,, was enthusiastic about the appointment and also agreed to reappoint Kerr in five years, were he Prime Minister at the time.
Kerr then agreed to take the post, was duly appointed by Queen, and was sworn in on 11 July 1974. Six of the bills that had been the subject of the double dissolution were introduced in Parliament a third time and, as expected, were again rejected by the Senate. Section 57 of the Constitution provides that, after a double dissolution election, if bills that had been rejected twice by the Senate in the previous parliament were again passed by the House and again rejected by the Senate, they could then be put to a of both houses. On 30 July, Whitlam gained Kerr's agreement for a joint sitting, which was set for 6–7 August 1974., the only one in Australia's history under Section 57, passed all six bills, including the enabling legislation for. Controversy and vacancies [ ] In December 1974, Whitlam was anxious to find new sources of money to finance his development plans. After a meeting at the Prime Minister's residence,, Whitlam and three of his ministers ( and, Senator, and Minister for Minerals and Energy ) signed a letter of authority for Connor to borrow up to US$4 billion. This letter was described by author and journalist as the 'death warrant of the Whitlam ALP government'.
Connor and other ministers had made contact with a hitherto obscure Pakistani financier, Tirath Khemlani, as early as November 1974. Khemlani was said to have contacts in the newly enriched Arab oil nations. None of the efforts to secure a loan, whether through Khemlani or by other routes, bore fruit but, as information about the ' trickled out, the government lost support. In February 1975, Whitlam decided to appoint Senator Murphy a justice of the, even though Murphy's Senate seat would not be up for election if a half-Senate election were held.
Under proportional representation, Labor could win three of the five New South Wales seats, but if Murphy's seat was also contested, it was most unlikely to win four out of six. Thus, appointing Murphy would almost certainly cost the ALP a Senate seat at the next half-Senate election. Whitlam appointed Murphy anyway.
By convention, senators appointed by the state legislature to fill were from the same political party as the former senator. The New South Wales premier,, felt that this convention only applied to vacancies caused by deaths or ill-health, and arranged for the legislature to elect, former mayor of and an independent. By March 1975, many Liberal parliamentarians felt that Snedden was doing an inadequate job as Leader of the Opposition, and that Whitlam was dominating him in the House of Representatives.
Malcolm Fraser challenged Snedden for the leadership, and defeated him on 21 March. At a press conference after winning the leadership, Fraser stated: The question of supply—let me deal with it this way. I generally believe if a government is elected to power in the lower House and has the numbers and can maintain the numbers in the lower House, it is entitled to expect that it will govern for the three-year term unless quite extraordinary events intervene. Having said that. If we do make up our minds at some stage that the Government is so reprehensible that an Opposition must use whatever power is available to it, then I'd want to find a situation in which Mr.
Whitlam woke up one morning finding the decision had been made and finding that he had been caught with his pants well and truly down. Whitlam's original deputy prime minister,, had been challenged and defeated for his post by Cairns in June 1974 shortly after the. Whitlam then offered Barnard a diplomatic post; in early 1975 Barnard agreed to this. If the appointment went through, Barnard's resignation from the House of Representatives would trigger in his Tasmanian electorate of. ALP officials felt that, given the party's weakened state, Barnard should remain in Parliament and be given no preferment if he resigned; party president and future Prime Minister described the decision to appoint Barnard as 'an act of lunacy'. Barnard had been losing support over the last several elections, and a swing of 4% against Labor would be enough to defeat it. The Liberals had a candidate who had been nursing the electorate; Labor had no candidate selected and a bitter preselection in the offing.
Barnard resigned, and was appointed ambassador to Sweden. The election on 28 June proved a disaster for Labor, losing the seat with a swing against it of 17%. The next week, Whitlam fired Cairns for misleading Parliament regarding the Loans Affair amid innuendo about his relationship with his Principal Private Secretary,. He was replaced as deputy. At the time of Cairns' dismissal, one Senate seat was vacant, following the death on 30 June of Queensland ALP Senator. The state Labor party nominated, who was the highest unelected candidate on the party's Queensland list in 1974.
This resulted in deadlock in Brisbane; the unicameral Queensland legislature twice voted against Colston, and the party refused to submit any alternative candidates. Queensland Country Party Premier had evidence that Colston, a schoolteacher by trade, had set a school on fire during a labour dispute, though the police had refused to prosecute.
After the legislature voted Colston down a second time, Bjelke-Petersen instructed his majority in the legislature to elect a low-level union official,, who had contacted his office and expressed a willingness to serve. In interviews, Field made it clear he would not support Whitlam. Field was expelled from the ALP for standing against Colston, and Labor senators boycotted his swearing-in. Whitlam argued that because of the vacancies being filled as they were, the Senate was 'corrupted' and 'tainted', with the Opposition enjoying a majority they did not win at the ballot box.
When Labor learned that Field had not given the required three weeks' notice to the Queensland Department of Education, it challenged his appointment in the High Court, arguing that he was still technically a public servant–and thus ineligible to serve in the Senate. With Field on leave throughout the remainder of the crisis, the Coalition refused to provide a ' to account for his absence, giving it an effective majority of 30–29 in the Senate. Deadlock [ ] Deferral of supply [ ]. The Senate chamber at the Provisional Parliament House On 10 October, the High Court ruled that the act passed at the joint sitting that gave the (ACT) and the two senators each was valid. A half-Senate election needed to be held by June 1976; most senators-elect would take their seats on 1 July but the territorial senators, and those filling Field's and Bunton's seats would take their places at once.
The ruling meant that it was possible for the ALP to gain a temporary majority in the Senate, at least until 1 July 1976. To do so, the ALP would have to win Field's and Bunton's seats, and one seat in each territory, and have the second ACT seat fall to either a Labor candidate or an independent, former Liberal Prime Minister, now estranged from his party. If this happened, Labor would have an effective 33–31 margin, would be able to pass supply if that was still an issue, and also could pass (which had been passed by the House, though twice defeated by the Senate) that would give it an advantage at the next election. The journalist and author described the position of the Government and Opposition as the crisis became acute in mid-October: While it was possibly an overstatement to describe the 1975 position as a choice between evils, neither of the two major political groupings reached the 15 October 1975 crunch position with completely clean hands.
Fraser and the Liberal-CP senators. Lacked the numbers to defer the Budget until the arrival in the Senate of Albert Patrick Field, whose arrival was not due to any decision by the Australian voters but to a decision by one of the rulers, the Whitlam-hating Bjelke-Petersen. Whitlam for his part had decided even before the Budget was deferred to embark upon the bold, Cromwellian project of changing the Australian Constitution, not through the vote of the mass electorate. But through prodigious personal exertions backed by the support of his parliamentary followers.
In the wake of the High Court ruling, and with the appropriation bills due to be considered by the Senate on 16 October, Fraser was undecided whether to block supply. His biographer, Philip Ayres, contends that, had there been no further government scandals, he would not have done so. Khemlani, however, had alleged - contrary to government statements - that Connor had never revoked his authority to obtain loans and had been in regular contact with him even into mid-1975.
On 13 October, the printed documents in support of Khemlani's allegations, and on the following day, Connor resigned. Fraser determined to block supply, convened a meeting and received the unanimous support of the Coalition frontbench. At a press conference, Fraser cited the poor state of the economy and the continuing scandals as reasons for his decision. Without the passage of fresh appropriations, supply would be exhausted on 30 November. The Governor of Queensland, Sir, gave a speech denigrating the Whitlam Government on 15 October, in violation of the convention that state governors remain neutral.
Hannah held a as to act as Governor-General in the event of Kerr's death, resignation, or absence from Australia. Whitlam immediately contacted to arrange for Hannah's dormant commission to be revoked, a process which took ten days to complete. Although Whitlam later alleged that he never contemplated dismissing Kerr during the crisis, on 16 October, while speaking with Kerr and visiting Malaysian Prime Minister, he told Kerr that if the crisis continued, 'It could be a question of whether I get to the Queen first for your recall, or whether you get in first with my dismissal'. Kerr saw the statement as a threat; Whitlam later stated the comment was 'flippant' and designed to turn the conversation to another subject.
Windows 95 Emulator For Windows 7 Free Download. On 16 and 17 October, the Senate, with the unanimous support of the Coalition majority, deferred the appropriation bills. The Coalition took the position that Kerr could dismiss Whitlam if the Government could not secure supply.
Whitlam's former solicitor-general, now a Liberal member of the House, issued a legal opinion on 16 October stating that the Governor-General had the power to dismiss Whitlam, and should do so forthwith if Whitlam could not state how he would obtain supply. Ellicott indicated that Whitlam was treating Kerr as if he had no discretion but to follow prime ministerial advice, when in fact the Governor-General could and should dismiss a ministry unable to secure supply. Ellicott stated that Kerr should ask the Prime Minister if the Government is prepared to advise him to dissolve the House of Representatives and the Senate or the House of Representatives alone as a means of assuring that the disagreement between the two Houses is resolved. If the Prime Minister refuses to do either, it is then open to the Governor-General to dismiss his present Ministers and seek others who are prepared to give him the only proper advice open. This he should proceed to do. Consultations and negotiations [ ] Kerr rang Whitlam on Sunday 19 October, asking permission to consult with the Chief Justice of the, Sir, concerning the crisis. Whitlam advised Kerr not to do so, noting that no Governor-General had consulted with a Chief Justice under similar circumstances since 1914, when Australia was at a much earlier stage of her constitutional development.
On 21 October, Kerr phoned Whitlam regarding the Ellicott opinion, and asked, 'It's all bullshit, isn't it?' Whitlam agreed with Kerr's view. Kerr then requested that the Government provide him with a written legal opinion rebutting Ellicott's views. Kerr would receive no written advice from the Government until 6 November.
Journalist and author, who wrote two books on the crisis, paints this delay as a major mistake by Whitlam, given Kerr's judicial background. Kerr also asked on 21 October for Whitlam's permission to interview Fraser, which the Prime Minister readily granted, and the two men met that night. Fraser told Kerr that the Opposition were determined to block supply.
Fraser indicated that the Opposition's decision to defer the appropriation bills, rather than defeating them, was a tactical decision, since then the bills would remain in the control of the Senate and could be passed at any time. He stated that the Coalition agreed with the Ellicott opinion, and proposed to continue deferring supply while it awaited events.
The media were not told of the substance of the conversation, and instead reported that Kerr had reprimanded Fraser for blocking supply, causing the Governor-General's office to issue a denial. Throughout the crisis, Kerr did not tell Whitlam of his increasing concerns, nor did he suggest that he might dismiss Whitlam. He believed nothing he said would influence Whitlam, and feared that, if Whitlam perceived him as a possible opponent, the Prime Minister would procure his dismissal from the Queen. Accordingly, though Kerr dealt with Whitlam in an affable manner, he did not confide his thinking to the Prime Minister. Labor Senator later related that 'Whitlam would come back to each caucus meeting and say, 'I saw His Excellency. He's got to do it his way.' At no time did he hint that the Governor-General was frowning.'
There was intense public interest and concern at the stalemate, and Fraser and his Liberals acted to shore up support. Liberal frontbenchers worked to build unity for the tactic in state organisations. The former longtime Sir was speaking out against the blocking of supply, causing South Australia Senator to waver in his support for the tactic. Fraser was able to co-ordinate a wave of communications from party members which served to neutralise both men. Fraser sought the backing of the retired longtime Liberal Prime Minister, Sir, and went to see Menzies in person, taking with him a 1947 statement by Menzies supporting the blocking of supply in the of the.
He did not have to use the paper; Menzies stated that he found the tactic distasteful, but in this case necessary. The former Prime Minister issued a statement in support of Fraser's tactics. Kerr invited Whitlam and Senator to lunch on 30 October, immediately preceding an meeting. At that meal, Kerr proposed a possible compromise. If the Opposition were to allow supply to pass, Whitlam would not advise a half-Senate election until May or June 1976, and the Senate would not convene until 1 July, thus obviating the threat of a possible temporary Labor majority. Whitlam, who was determined to destroy both Fraser's leadership and the Senate's right to block supply, refused any compromise.
Decision [ ] Because of the federal nature of our Constitution and because of its provisions the Senate undoubtedly has constitutional power to refuse or defer supply to the Government. Because of the principles of responsible government a Prime Minister who cannot obtain supply, including money for carrying on the ordinary services of government, must either advise a general election or resign. If he refuses to do this I have the authority and indeed the duty under the Constitution to withdraw his Commission as Prime Minister. The position in Australia is quite different from a position in the United Kingdom. Here the confidence of both Houses on supply is necessary to ensure its provision.
In United Kingdom the confidence of the House of Commons alone is necessary. But both here and in the United Kingdom the duty of the Prime Minister is the same in a most important aspect – if he cannot get supply he must resign or advise an election. Yarralumla, the official residence of the Governor-General At 9 a.m. On 11 November, Whitlam, together with deputy prime minister and, met with the Liberal and Country party leaders. No compromise could be reached.
Whitlam informed the Coalition leaders that he would be advising Kerr to hold a half-Senate election on 13 December, and he would not be seeking interim supply for the period before the election. Thinking it unlikely that Kerr would grant the election without supply, Fraser warned Whitlam that the Governor-General might make up his own mind about the matter. Whitlam was dismissive and after the meeting broke, telephoned Kerr to tell him that he needed an appointment to advise him to hold a half-Senate election. Both men were busy in the morning, Kerr with commemorations, and Whitlam with a caucus meeting and a censure motion in the House which the Opposition had submitted.
The two discussed a meeting for 1:00 p.m., though Kerr's office later called Whitlam's and confirmed the time as 12:45. Word of this change did not reach the Prime Minister. Whitlam announced the request for a half-Senate election to his caucus, which approved it. After hearing from Whitlam, Kerr called Fraser. According to Fraser, Kerr asked him whether he, if commissioned Prime Minister, could secure supply, would immediately thereafter advise a double-dissolution election, and would refrain from new policies and investigations of the Whitlam Government pending the election.
Fraser stated that he agreed. Kerr denied the exchange took place via telephone, though both men agree those questions were asked later in the day before Kerr commissioned Fraser as Prime Minister. According to Kerr, Fraser was supposed to come to Yarralumla at 1.00 pm. Whitlam was delayed in leaving Parliament House, while Fraser left slightly early, with the result that Fraser arrived at Yarralumla first. He was taken into an anteroom, and his car was moved. Whitlam maintained that the purpose in moving Fraser's car was to ensure that the Prime Minister was not tipped off by seeing it, stating, 'Had I known Mr.
Fraser was already there, I would not have set foot in Yarralumla.' Kelly doubted Whitlam would have recognised Fraser's car, which was an ordinary from the car pool.
According to Fraser biographer Philip Ayres, 'A white car pulled up at the front would signify nothing in particular—it would simply be in the way'. Whitlam arrived just before 1:00 p.m. And was taken to Kerr's office by an aide.
He brought with him the formal letter advising a half-Senate election, and after the two men were seated, attempted to give it to Kerr. In their accounts of their meeting, both men agree that Kerr then told Whitlam that his commission as Prime Minister was withdrawn under Section 64 of the Constitution, and handed him a letter and statement of reasons. Kerr later wrote that at this point Whitlam got to his feet, looked at the office's phones, and stated, 'I must get in touch with the Palace at once.' Whitlam, however disputed this, and stated that he asked Kerr whether he had consulted the Palace, to which Kerr replied that he did not need to, and that he had the advice of Barwick.
Both accounts agree that Kerr then stated that they would both have to live with this, to which Whitlam replied, ' You certainly will.' The dismissal concluded with Kerr wishing Whitlam luck in the election, and offering his hand, which the former Prime Minister took. After Whitlam left, Kerr called in Fraser, informed him of the dismissal, and asked if he would form a caretaker government, to which Fraser agreed. Fraser later stated that his overwhelming sensation at the news was relief. Fraser left to return to Parliament House, where he conferred with Coalition leaders, while Kerr joined the luncheon party that had been waiting for him, apologising to his guests and offering the excuse that he had been busy dismissing the Government. Parliamentary strategy [ ] Whitlam returned to the Prime Minister's residence,, where he had lunch. As his aides arrived, he informed them of his sacking.
Whitlam drafted a resolution for the House, expressing confidence in his Government. No ALP Senate leaders were at The Lodge, nor did Whitlam and his party contact any when they drove back to Parliament House, confining their strategy to the House of Representatives. Prior to Whitlam's dismissal, the Labor leadership decided to introduce a motion that the Senate pass the appropriation bills. With ALP senators unaware of Whitlam's sacking, that plan went ahead. Senator, manager of the ALP Government's business in the Senate, informed Coalition Senate leader of Labor's intent at about 1.30. Withers then attended a leadership meeting and learned of Fraser's appointment; he assured the new Prime Minister he could secure supply. When the Senate convened, the ALP Senate leader,, made the motion.
Even as Wriedt did so, he was told that the government had been sacked, which he initially refused to believe. Authoritative word did not reach Wriedt until 2.15 pm, by which time it was too late to withdraw the motion and instead obstruct his party's appropriation bill to hinder Fraser. At 2.24 pm, Labor's appropriation bills passed the Senate, fulfilling Fraser's first promise of providing supply. In the House, desultory debate on Fraser's censure motion ended with it being amended by the ALP majority into a condemnation of Fraser and passed on a party line vote. By 2.34 pm, when Fraser rose and announced that he had been commissioned as Prime Minister, word of the dismissal had spread through the House. Fraser announced his intent to advise a double dissolution, and moved that the House adjourn.
His motion was defeated. Fraser's new government suffered repeated defeats in the House, which passed a motion of no confidence in him, and asked the Speaker,, to urge the Governor-General to recommission Whitlam. Scholes, attempting to communicate this to the Governor General, was initially told that an appointment might not be possible that day, but after stating that he would reconvene the House and tell them of the refusal, was given an appointment with Kerr for 4.45 pm.
Dissolution [ ]. Protest in, outside the, about 6.45 pm 11 November 1975 following news of the dismissal. With the appropriation bills approved by both Houses, they were sent over to Yarralumla where Kerr gave them. With supply assured, he then received Fraser, who advised him that 21 bills (including the electoral redistribution bills) which had been introduced since the last election fulfilled the double dissolution provisions of Section 57. Fraser asked that both Houses be dissolved for an election on 13 December. Kerr signed the proclamation dissolving Parliament, and sent his,, to proclaim the dissolution from the front steps of Parliament House. At 4.45, Kerr received Scholes, and informed him of the dissolution.
Kerr wrote that 'nothing else of relevance' took place between the two men, but by Scholes's account, he accused Kerr of bad faith for making an appointment to receive the Speaker, and then not waiting to hear from him before dissolving Parliament. Whitlam later stated that it would have been wiser for Scholes to take the appropriation bills with him, rather than having them sent ahead. Even as Scholes and Kerr spoke, Smith reached Parliament House.
The dismissal was by then publicly known, and an angry crowd of ALP supporters had gathered, filling the steps and spilling over both into the roadway and into Parliament House itself. Many of the demonstrators were ALP staffers; others were from the. Smith was forced to enter Parliament House through a side door and make his way to the steps from the inside. He read the proclamation, though the boos of the crowd drowned him out, and concluded with the traditional 'God save the Queen'. Former Prime Minister Whitlam, who had been standing behind Smith, then addressed the crowd: Well may we say 'God save the Queen', because nothing will save the Governor-General! The Proclamation which you have just heard read by the Governor-General's Official Secretary was countersigned Malcolm Fraser, who will undoubtedly go down in Australian history from Remembrance Day 1975 as Kerr's.
They won't silence the outskirts of Parliament House, even if the inside has been silenced for a few weeks. Maintain your rage and enthusiasm for the campaign for the election now to be held and until polling day. Aftermath [ ] Campaign [ ]. ALP policy launch before a huge crowd in the on 24 November 1975 The news that Whitlam had been dismissed spread across Australia during the afternoon, triggering immediate protest demonstrations. On 12 November, Scholes wrote to the Queen, asking her to restore Whitlam as Prime Minister. The reply from the Queen's, Sir, dated 17 November 1975, stated: As we understand the situation here, the Australian Constitution firmly places the prerogative powers of the Crown in the hands of the Governor-General as the representative of the Queen of Australia.
The only person competent to commission an Australian Prime Minister is the Governor-General, and The Queen has no part in the decisions which the Governor-General must take in accordance with the Constitution. Her Majesty, as Queen of Australia, is watching events in Canberra with close interest and attention, but it would not be proper for her to intervene in person in matters which are so clearly placed within the jurisdiction of the Governor-General by the Constitution Act.
On 12 November 1975, the was sworn in by Kerr. By some accounts, Kerr sought reassurance at that meeting that the Coalition senators would not have given in before supply ran out, 'The Senate would never have caved in, would it?' According to those accounts, Senator laughed and said to a colleague, 'That's all he knows.' Guilfoyle later stated that, if she did make such a remark, it was not meant to imply that the Coalition senators would have broken. However, Kelly lists four Coalition senators who stated, in subsequent years, that they would have crossed the floor and voted for the appropriation bills. Labor believed it had a chance of winning the election, and that the dismissal would be an electoral asset for them. However, some Labor strategists believed the party was heading for a disaster, with few economic accomplishments to point to and an electorate whose emotions would have cooled before polling day.
Nonetheless, Whitlam, who began campaigning almost immediately after the dismissal, was met with huge crowds wherever he went; 30,000 people overspilled the for the official campaign launch on 24 November. That evening, Whitlam made a major speech at in Melbourne before 7,500 people and a national TV audience, calling 11 November 'Fraser's day of shame—a day that will live in infamy'. Polls were released at the end of the first week of campaigning, and showed a nine-point swing against Labor. Whitlam's campaign did not believe it at first, but additional polling made it clear: the electorate was turning against the ALP. The Coalition attacked Labor for the economic conditions, and released television commercials 'The Three Dark Years' showing images from the Whitlam government scandals. The ALP campaign, which had concentrated on the issue of Whitlam's dismissal, did not begin to address the economy until its final days. By that time Fraser, confident of victory, was content to sit back, avoid specifics and make no mistakes.
There was little violence in the campaign, but three letter bombs were placed in the post; one wounded two people in Bjelke-Petersen's office, while the other two, addressed to Kerr and Fraser, were intercepted and defused. During the campaign, the Kerrs purchased a Sydney apartment, as Sir John was prepared to resign in the event that the ALP triumphed. In the, the Coalition won a record victory, with 91 seats in the House of Representatives to the ALP's 36 and a 35–27 majority in the expanded Senate.
Royal involvement [ ] In 2015, political historian revealed an exchange between Kerr and, who in 1975 was being mooted as a future Governor-General. In Kerr's private papers from September 1975, a month before the dismissal, Kerr had informed Prince Charles that he was considering dismissing Whitlam, and was concerned that his commission might be revoked by Whitlam to prevent it. According to Kerr, Charles had responded: 'But surely, Sir John, the Queen should not have to accept advice that you should be recalled at the very time when you were considering having to dismiss the government'. This information was also shared with Buckingham Palace because the Queen's Private Secretary,, wrote to Kerr that should this 'contingency' arise, the Queen would try to delay things for as long as possible. It has been suggested that the consultation between Kerr, Charteris and Charles was maintained to ensure that the and the were not part of the discussion. Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen in 1975, Sir, who along with Charteris informed her of the dismissal, has maintained that it came as a surprise to all three of them; that he considered Kerr's actions imprudent; and that he believed that this opinion was shared by Charteris.
A memorandum by Sir of his conversation with Charteris supports this suggestion, and that disillusionment with Kerr's character led the Palace to apply pressure for his resignation. The Queen's opinion is unknown, but Heseltine has stated: 'I think she is an old and wily bird about her own views. To the extent that I could divine what she felt, I think she felt the same. I’m reasonably confident myself that she thought it could have been handled better.” After the dismissal Prince Charles wrote a letter to Kerr conveying his moral support. He urged Kerr “not to lose heart” in the face of domestic hostility.
In October 2016, historian Hocking initiated a legal action against the, asking for Kerr's correspondence with the Palace to be reclassified from 'personal' to 'official' and then released since the 30-year time limit applying to official documents has passed. The case opened in the on 31 July 2017, Hocking being represented by Gough's son,. In October 2017, in a new edition of her book The Dismissal Dossier, Hocking revealed evidence of a meeting in Canberra, a month before the Dismissal, between Kerr, the British high commissioner and the of Britain's, who reported to London that Kerr 'could be relied upon' to protect the Queen's position.
She claims that this demonstrates collusion between Kerr and the British government, of which the Queen would have been aware. In response, a former senior official in the government of the Australian territory that in September 1975 would become independent as recalled that, during the independence celebrations (also attended by Gough Whitlam and Prince Charles), Kerr had discussed a Governor-General's power to dismiss a prime minister 'at great length' with, who was about to become the first.
Alleged CIA involvement [ ] During the crisis, Whitlam had alleged that Country Party leader Anthony had close links to the US (CIA). Subsequently, it was alleged that Kerr acted on behalf of the United States government in procuring Whitlam's dismissal. The most common allegation is that the CIA influenced Kerr's decision to dismiss Whitlam. In 1966 Kerr had joined the, a conservative group that was later revealed to have received CIA funding., who was convicted for spying for the while an employee for a CIA contractor, claimed that the CIA wanted Whitlam removed from office because he threatened to close US military bases in Australia, including.
Boyce said that Kerr was described by the CIA as 'our man Kerr'. According to of the, the CIA 'paid for Kerr’s travel, built his prestige... Kerr continued to go to the CIA for money'. In 1974, the White House sent as ambassador to Australia, who was known as “the coupmaster” for his central role in the against Indonesian President.
Whitlam later wrote that Kerr did not need any encouragement from the CIA. However, he also said that in 1977 made a special trip to Sydney to meet with him and told him, on behalf of US President, of his willingness to work with whatever government Australians elected, and that the US would never again interfere with Australia's democratic processes. Former chief has dismissed the notion of CIA involvement, as has journalist. Legacy [ ] In his survey of the events of the crisis, November 1975, Kelly places blame on Fraser for initiating the crisis and on Whitlam for using the crisis to try to break Fraser and the Senate. However, he places the most blame on Kerr, for failing to be candid with Whitlam about his intentions, and for refusing to offer a clear, final warning before dismissing him. According to Kelly, [Kerr] should have unflinchingly and courageously met his responsibility to the Crown and to the Constitution.
He should have spoken frankly with his Prime Minister from the start. He should have warned wherever and whenever appropriate.
He should have realised that, whatever his fears, there was no justification for any other behaviour. Former Governor-General, believed that the fundamental reason for the crisis was the lack of trust and confidence between Whitlam and Kerr, and that the role of the Governor-General to provide counsel, advice and warning. The dismissal has been considered the greatest political and constitutional crisis in Australia's history. In 1977, the Fraser Government proposed four constitutional amendments via, three of which passed—the last time that the Australian Constitution has been amended. Requires that a senator appointed to fill a casual vacancy be from the same party as the former senator. The Senate retains the power to block supply; the Governor-General retains the power to dismiss ministers (including the Prime Minister).
However, these powers have not since been used to force a government from office. In the wake of the dismissal, the ALP turned its anger on Kerr. Demonstrations marked his appearances, while the remaining ALP parliamentarians boycotted his opening of the new Parliament. Whitlam, now Leader of the Opposition, refused all invitations to events at, which the Kerrs continued to extend until his refusal of an invitation during the Queen's 1977 visit caused them to feel that no further efforts need be made. Whitlam never spoke with Kerr again.
Even ALP parliamentarians who had been friends of Kerr broke off their relationships, feeling Kerr had betrayed the party and had ambushed Whitlam. Lady stated that she and her husband confronted a 'new irrational scene swarming with instant enemies'. Whitlam resigned as ALP leader after the party suffered its second successive electoral defeat in. Fraser served over seven years as Prime Minister, and left the Liberal leadership after the Coalition was defeated in the. Whitlam repeatedly castigated Kerr for his role in the dismissal. When Kerr announced his resignation as Governor-General on 14 July 1977, Whitlam commented: 'How fitting that the last of the should bow out on '.
In 1991, Whitlam stated that no future Governor-General was likely to act as Kerr did lest he also became the subject of 'contempt and isolation'. In 1997 he said that the letter of dismissal 'had the shortcomings of being ex tempore, ex parte, ad hoc and sub rosa.' In 2005, Whitlam called Kerr 'a contemptible person'. On the other hand, Country Party leader and deputy prime minister said: 'I can't forgive Gough for crucifying him'. Sir Garfield Barwick was not spared Whitlam's invective; the former Prime Minister described him as 'evil'. However, Whitlam and Fraser put aside their differences; Whitlam wrote in 1997 that Fraser 'did not set out to deceive me'. The two campaigned together in support of that would have made Australia a republic.
According to Whitlam speechwriter, 'the residual rage over the conduct of the Queen's representative found a constructive outlet in the movement for the '. After Kerr resigned as Governor-General, he still sought a government position, reasoning that it had been his intent to remain for ten years as Governor-General.
However, Fraser's attempt to appoint Kerr as ambassador to (a position later held by Whitlam) provoked such public outcry that the nomination was withdrawn. The Kerrs spent the next several years living in Europe, and when he died in Australia in 1991, his death was not announced until after he was buried. Freudenberg summed up Kerr's fate after the dismissal: The beneficiaries of the Dismissal scarcely bothered to defend Kerr and in the end abandoned him. In the personal sense, Sir John Kerr himself became the real victim of the Dismissal, and history has accorded a brutal if poignant truth to Whitlam's declaration on the steps of Parliament House on 11 November 1975: 'Well may we say 'God Save the Queen' – because nothing will save the Governor-General.' See also [ ] • Denmark's •, a similar Canadian constitutional crisis in 1926 • Notes [ ]. •, pp. 16–17.
•, pp. 161–162. •, pp. 162–163. •, pp. 36–37. • Wurth, Bob (2 January 2010),, The Age, retrieved 2010-05-21 •, pp. 16–19.
•, pp. 160–161. •, pp. 128–129. •, pp. 206–208. •, pp. 193–195. • ^, pp. 107–109. •, pp. 343–344.
•, pp. 354–356. •, pp. 273–274.
•, pp. 274–275. • ^, pp. 275–276. •, pp. 131–132. •, pp. 145–146.
•, pp. 277–278. •, pp. 381–382. •, pp. 156–158.
•, pp. 382–383. • Kerr, John.. Retrieved 11 January 2017. •, pp. 184–185.
•, pp. 185–186. •, pp. 388–389. •, pp. 215–217. •, pp. 222–226.
Retrieved 22 April 2014. •, pp. 245–247. •, pp. 247–248. • Constitution section 64 empowers the Governor-General to appoint ministers of state, who 'shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor-General'.
•, pp. 256–257. •, pp. 257–259.
• The dismissal letter, Kerr's statement of reasons and Barwick's advice are reproduced in Williams, George; Brennan, Sean; Lynch, Andrew (2014). Blackshield and Williams Australian Constitutional Law and Theory (6 ed.). Leichhardt, NSW: Federation Press. They are also, with other documents and a photographic image of the dismissal letter,.
Retrieved 24 April 2014. •, pp. 414–415. •, pp. 267–269.
•, pp. 369–373. •, pp. 274–275. • Shaw, Meaghan (5 November 2005),, The Age, retrieved 2010-06-26 •, pp. 374–375. •, pp. 303–307. Retrieved 2016-04-20. • Evan Smith (November 9, 2015).. The Conversation.
Retrieved November 11, 2015. • Chan, Gabrielle (October 26, 2015).. The Guardian.
Retrieved November 11, 2015. • Hocking, Jenny (2015). The Dismissal Dossier.
Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.. The Australian. 4 November 2015. The Australian. 7 November 2015. • Wright, Tony (21 October 2016)..
Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 October 2016. • Hocking, Jenny (4 November 2016).. The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2016. • Peatling, Stephanie (1 July 2017)..
Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2017. • Whitbourn, Michaela (1 August 2017).. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
• Peatling, Stephanie (16 October 2017).. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2017. • Hocking, Jenny (2017). The Dismissal Dossier. The Palace Connection: Everything You Were Never Meant to Know About November 1975. Melbourne: Melbourne UP..
• Lynch, Mark (18 October 2017).. Canberra Times. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Letter has wrong header: search for author. • Butterfield, Fox (6 November 1975),, The New York Times, retrieved 2010-06-11 (fee for article) • Blum, William (1998),, Black Rose Books,, retrieved 2010-06-06 • Martin, Ray (23 May 1982),, williambowles.info, from the original on 17 June 2009, retrieved 2006-09-24 • Cited in Pilger, John 22 October 2014 (in which it is further alleged that Britain's MI6 participated with the CIA in endeavours to destabilise the Whitlam government). • Steketee, Mark (1 January 2008),, The Australian, retrieved 2010-05-19 •, pp. 49–50. •,, 7.30 Report,.
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•, The Los Angeles Times, 30 March 1991, retrieved 2010-05-19 •, p. 416. Bibliography • Ayres, Philip (1987), Malcolm Fraser, William Heinemann Australia, • Brown, Wallace (2002), Ten Prime Ministers: Life Among the Politicians, Loungeville Books, • (1996), Life With Gough, Allen & Unwin, • Freudenberg, Graham (2009), A Certain Grandeur: Gough Whitlam's Life in Politics (revised ed.), Viking, • Hocking, Jenny (2017), The Dismissal Dossier. The Palace Connection: Everything You Were Never Meant to Know About November 1975 (revised ed.), Melbourne UP, • (1983), The Dismissal, Angus & Robertson Publishers, • (1995), November 1975, Allen & Unwin, • (1978), Matters for Judgment, Macmillan, • Lloyd, Clem (2008), 'Edward Gough Whitlam', in Grattan, Michelle, Australian Prime Ministers (revised ed.), New Holland Publishers Pty Ltd, pp. 324–354, • (2016). Constitutional Conventions and the Headship of State: Australian Experience. Connor Court.. • McMinn, Winston (1979), A Constitutional History of Australia, Oxford University Press, • Reid, Alan (1976), The Whitlam Venture, Hill of Content, • (1979), The Truth of the Matter, Allen Lane, • (1997), Abiding Interests, University of Queensland Press, Further reading [ ] • (2016).
Constitutional Conventions and the Headship of State: Australian Experience. Connor Court.. • (2012), Gough Whitlam: His Time, The Miegunyah Press, • (2005), The Head of State, Macleay Press, External links [ ] • (dated 11 November 1975) explaining his decisions. • and, a 1994 interview in which Fraser gives his perspective on his actions. • Official site of – contains many news reports and speeches from the time under 'Whitlam Government' tab. • • – privately maintained web site with background, source documents and audio/video clips. • on • Listen to an excerpt of Gough Whitlam's on.