Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit |  | Author: Krista Tippett
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
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Pages: 304
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ISBN: 0143116770
Dewey Decimal Number: 215
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Product Description
Albert Einstein did not believe in a personal God. And his famous quip that "God does not play dice with the universe" was a statement about quantum physics, not a statement of faith. But he did leave behind a fascinating, largely forgotten legacy of musings and writings-some serious, some whimsical-about the relationship between science and religion and his own inquisitive reverence for the "order deeply hidden behind everything". Einstein's self-described "cosmic religious sense" is intriguingly compatible with twenty-first-century sensibilities. And it is the starting point for Einstein's God.
Drawn from American Public Media's extraordinary program Speaking of Faith, the conversations in this profoundly illuminating book explore an emerging interface of inquiry-if not answers-between many fields of science, medicine, theology and philosophy. In her interviews with such luminaries as Freeman Dyson, Paul Davies, V. V. Raman, and Mehmet Oz, Krista Tippett draws out the connections between these realms, showing how even those most wedded to hard truths find spiritual enlightenment in the life of experiment and, in turn, raise questions that are richly theologically evocative. Whether she is speaking with celebrated surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland about the biology of the human spirit or questioning Darwin biographer James Moore about his subject's religious beliefs, Tippett offers a rare look at the way our best minds grapple with the questions for which we all seek answers.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
 An interesting discussion about God, religion and science April 20, 2010
Rama Rao (Annandale, VA, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The author is an experienced host on public radio, and I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and knowledge she brings in her conversations with well known physicists, biologists, philosophers, psychologists, theologians, and medical experts. It is fascinating to discuss Einstein, God, and religion with Physicists like Freeman Dyson, and Paul Davies, and about Charles Darwin with biologist James Moore. If there is anyone who understood God more than any anybody else, it is certainly Einstein and Darwin.
In a scientific assessment, God is regarded as an entity, a creating potential, and the all pervading Supreme Consciousness. Albert Einstein, the greatest physicist of all time frequently referred to God in his discussions, but he did not imply any particular faith. Einstein saw beauty in God's design of spacetime, energy - matter relationship, spacetime - matter relationship, the symmetry in physical laws, mathematical elegance in the physical descriptions and cosmic wonders. Similarly, it is fascinating to read how Darwin struggled for 20 years, in 19 century, before he published his monumental work on the origin and evolution of living species. At that time it would be unthinkable to question Genesis and New Testament. In fact it was met with ferocious opposition in United States especially in the Bible-belt, but Darwin remained steadfast in making it clear that species evolved, and one species came from another, and all living species came from unicellular organisms. He came to this conclusion through his intensive and prolonged research in natural selection, biodiversity, species adaptations, specificity and individual variation. The discussions in this book illuminate the fact both Darwin and Einstein struggled immensely to understand God though their scientific work.
In her conversations with V.V. Raman, the author has focused on the cultural and social issues of Hinduism. Although a brief discussion of dharma and karma is interesting but I would have expected a more focused dialogue on the philosophical side of Hinduism, especially Vedanta, which is very closely related to philosophy of quantum physics. Leading physicists like Erwin Schrodinger and David Bohm were life-long believers of Vedanta. A discussion on Vedanta could have been natural flow of ideas after reading her conversation with Dyson and Davies.
Physicist Janna Levin describes the fascinating side of our universe in which certain truth can never be proven true; there are limits to what we will ever know. This is according to the mathematical work of Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, the two eminent mathematicians of 20th century that has deep philosophical consequences. This is reflected in the laws of physics; theory of special relativity puts an upper limit on the speed of light and matter, consequently the concept of present and future becomes relative. Uncertainty at the most fundamental level, the Heisenberg uncertainty puts a limit on our ability to define matter and a wave separately, and according to quantum dynamics the observed reality depends on the observer. Gödel believed that there is a surreal vagueness about reality. Quantum physics further alludes to the fact that everything in the universe is preordained, there is considerable doubt about cause preceding the effect, and the individual freewill is non-existent. Janna Levin reflects on the personal tragedies in the lives of these two great men of science and the impact it had on her thoughts.
Charles Darwin waited for 20 years to publish his theory, which reflects on the times and social surroundings of Darwin. It was clear to him from his upbringing that God plays a central role in the affairs of the world he created, and the church directed people into the path of God, and New Testament gives the correct description of God. Commenting on one of the letters of Darwin, James Moore recounts that Darwin labored very heavily during this time, but when he convinced himself, he decides to publish the results of his monumental work. He revolutionized the thought within the church when he suggested that nature is self-developing, only God created the laws of physics which formed chemical structures, molecular forms and life. Life forms change into another species. A gradual trend in certain behavioral characteristics or physical features indicated that they evolved independently. He found interconnectedness among all living creatures, but he never denied God's existence.
In her conversation with physicist John Polkinghorne, it becomes apparent that his invoking a religious God and a Christian God in particular is unrealistic. He moves from the position of a physicist to the position of a pastor, as if he is speaking from the pulpit. He suggests that power of prayer is an interaction between God Almighty and a human. Polkinghorne's philosophy is a sellout of his academic credentials to find a non-existing path between physical laws and New Testament. In one of Einstein's letters written in 1927, Einstein states that he can not conceive that a personal God would directly influence individual actions of a living being, or judge a creature he created. He believes in this thought in spite of the fact that cause preceding the effect is in doubt according to quantum physics. It would be unlikely that the infinitely superior spirit, the God Almighty reveal himself through the physical reality we experience, when we can not comprehend our own existence. Einstein observes that morality is of highest importance for us, and not for God.
Spirited interviews, substantial and accessible April 18, 2010
ClergyChick
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although I thought I was ordering a different book by title, the delight with which I devoured this book was a reminder, at least to me, that chance is only the fulfillment of what was purposed to be.
Having heard a few of these NPR interviews, having them in hand and in print is a better way to consider the depth and breadth of the scientists as occasional/accidental philosophers - and follow more closely their very thoughtful words.
Einstein'sGod April 22, 2010
Older but wiser geezer (Richardson, Texas)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an excellent presentation of the issues surrounding the subject of science vs. religion as they pertain to everyday activities in our current cultural climate. The book is a mind-blowing display of how science and religion dovetail in their respective views of the larger universe we live in. Once started, I could not put the book down.
Reinforces the Miraculous April 15, 2010
Richard Wells (Seattle, WA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Let me get something off my chest, and maybe vent just a little. This book will probably be unjustly categorized as some type of New Age reading. I hate the New Age (or as Gooch said, "I can't afford anything new.") There's been nothing new under the sun for at least 2000 years, that was Christianity, it went the way of all new things - it got old. On top of that, every year or so the newest new age nonsense hits the shelves: Eat Pray Ugh being the latest, hard on the heels of Eckhardt Tolle. Recycled thinking destined for the recycle bin. There, done with that.
Einstein's God is a terrific set of transcribed interviews from Krista Tippett's public radio show, Speaking of Faith. These are chats with some particularly brilliant people about the life of the spirit as it pertains to ecology, medicine, psychotherapies, and the arts. There's very little nonsense here as Ms. Tippett and her guests explore the spiritual lives of religious believers and non-believers through their particular disciplines and discoveries.
This book is a scalpel of sorts, that cuts through the fog of the woo-woo, and la-la that surrounds contemporary spirituality. Thich Nat Than said, "The miracle is not walking on water; the miracle is that we're walking on this earth at all." Einstein's God reinforces the miraculous.
An Awesome, Inspiring Work That Explores The Unanswerable Questions of Life April 17, 2010
Charlene Rubush (Donalsonville, Georgia)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
In her introduction (p.1) Krista Tippett asserts that "both science and religion are set to animate the twenty-first century with vigor."
This book contains interviews with luminaries such as Paul Davies, Sherwin Nuland, Freeman Dyson, Esther Sternberg, Parker Palmer, and more. Tippett delves into many fascinating subjects in the interviews. These diverse subjects include:
* Black holes, time and space
* The nexus of science and spirituality
* Brain chemistry and depression
* Spiritual enlightenment
* Religious beliefs
* Biology of the human spirit
In Tippett's interview titled "Einstein's God" with theoretical physicist Freemon Dyson, (p.21) she starts, "Let's talk about the way Einstein used the word `God'." He did seem to make frequent references to `the Lord'." And he also said that what drove him all his life, what drove him as a scientist, was understanding if God had to make the world this way."
Dyson answers: "Yes. Well, certainly it was not the kind of personal God that many people believe in. And he said very explicitly that he did not believe in a personal God who was interested in human affairs. He did believe in nature as some sort of universal spirit, or I suppose you might say `world soul,' or some kind of `universal mind', which ruled the universe and which was far beyond our comprehension. That's what he called `God' or `the Lord'."
In "The Soul in Depression" interview (p.227) Tippett speaks with Andrew Solomon, novelist, Parker Palmer, Quaker author and educator, and Anita Barrows, psychologist and poet.
Tippett begins this chapter with: "As a society, we're increasingly aware of the many faces of depression, and we've become conversant in psychological analysis of depression and medical treatment for it. But there is a growing body of literature by people who've struggled with depression and found it to be a lesson in the nature of the human soul." She notes that she has experienced severe depression herself.
Tippett speaks to Solomon about his experience with depression. Solomon traces the onset of his depression to his inability to grieve the death of his mother, who while dying with cancer, committed a planned suicide in his presence.
He says "It's an experience, overall, of finding the most ordinary parts of life incredibly difficult: finding it difficult to eat, finding it difficult to get out of bed, finding it difficult and painful to go outside, being afraid all the time, and being overwhelmed all the time."
Solomon speaks of the many medications he's on for depression, such as Lamictal, Zxprexa, Lexapro, Buspar, and Wellbutrin, and expresses that he's on more medication than he'd like to be.
On his use of anti-depressants, he quotes poet Jane Kenyon. "We try a new drug, a new combination of drugs, and suddenly I fall into my life again." He continues, "From my own experience, I remember that. And again, it is so hard for people who haven't been through this to imagine--that it is not like you are changed into someone new, but you fall into your own life again. So mysterious."
I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and exciting. It contains so much wisdom and information that can enrich one's life, and expand one's vision of the vastness of human experience. Very highly recommended reading!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
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