Essays in Humanism
by Albert Einsein
Am I really going to start a review with an introduction on who Albert Einstein is? He’s the guy who invented the poster of the old man sticking his tongue out, OK? He also wrote that science formula that you see on blackboards of people in movies who are depicted as being smart.
As much as he’s known for his scientific accomplishments and ideas, it’s the side of Einstein that dealt with more humanitarian issues that maybe we’re all less familiar with. Bertrand Russell was maybe more famous for these issues than math, and perhaps he and Einstein are on the same plane, right?
Essays in Humanism is disappointingly thin. Both in scope and actual size. In these couple dozen essays or brief communications, the topics are divided into three: the important of a supranational government for world peace, eulogies for dead scientists, and Zionism. The eulogies are personal and hit on some of the accomplishments of the subjects, but they’re hardly enlightening, since they also deal with Einstein’s friendship with that person. The Zionism assays argue how the world owes the Jewish people a place to live and how Palestinians should “honor” their “promise” of letting them settle there. Einstein makes an extra effort to highlight the extraordinary characteristics of Jewish people. I don’t know if time, and current events, have proven or disproven his argument but it should also be noted that these essays were written during and right after WWII. Also, I’m not gonna touch this any further.
Finally, there’s the topic of a supranational organization who would have its own military power and would serve as a mediator between nations to keep war and aggression in check. Einstein insists on the benevolence of this organization without maybe considering that humans could be politically motivated and international dynamics can get messy. Couldn’t such an organization be abused? Also, he doesn’t see that this is potentially an infringement on any nation’s sovereignty. I hate to say it, but the Soviet response to his proposal makes a whole lot of sense and his rebuttal doesn’t address the core problems that they’re bringing up.
Essays in Humanism disappointing and lacking. A brief introduction by an editor putting these chapters into context would have helped. It’s weird to feel unsatisfied after reading 100+ pages of freaking Einstein.
