Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: jrestrepo
"God does not play dice." - Einstein

That's an interesting quote, for at least two reasons. First, it was triggered by Einstein's revulsion at contemplating quantum theory. He thought a better, more elegant particle theory could be devised that would be more in tune with his notions of how the universe's laws should work. So far, nobody has come up with one.

Second, when Einstein mentions God, he doesn't mean what most folks think of as God:

I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings.

I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.

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.

So, you could say Einstein was wrong about God on both counts!

72 posted on 11/21/2004 11:37:37 PM PST by Dick Holmes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies ]


To: Dick Holmes
From what I have read about Einstein then he contradicts himself here. If ethics were created by man, why was he such a pacifist after helping create the bomb? If life an death are arbitrary, then he should support Darwin's survival of the fittest. I really think that Einstein believed in God and had a huge dilemma trying to balance it with his intellect, because for guy that did not believe in God, he sure reference Him a lot. For example;
"I want to know God's thoughts, everything else are just details" - Einstein
73 posted on 11/22/2004 7:30:26 AM PST by jrestrepo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson