Einstein and Philosophy

"Einstein and Philosophy"

Einstein was a man that shared many similarities with the philosophers in Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy. The one-time aspiring teacher of philosophy has been through many of the same hardships that the philosophers in the book have gone through. One can only imagine what wonderful philosophical teachings would've sprung forth from such an intelligent man. His life was not a typical one, and as with many of the philosophers, not always easy. But his life nonetheless has made an impact on today's society.

Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879 to Hermann and Pauline Einstein. Pauline was a strong-minded stay at home mother who was very passionate about music. His father, Hermann, was a not so savvy business man who was in charge of running an electrochemical business. Due to bad business skills and the persuasion of his younger brother Jacob, the Einsteins moved to Munich to start a new life.

In Munich, Albert was joined by a new addition to the family, his sister Marie, or as they called her Maja. Albert and his sister were said to be always at odds with each other during their younger years. Albert developed a very bad temper early and was said to throw the nearest thing at the slightest annoyance. This annoyance was usually caused by his sister. This "war" continued throughout their childhood. Of course, as with most children, the "battles" that were fought between brother and sister transformed into a close knit relationship that one could only develop by quarrelling with each other for a number of years.

Albert's education started out when he was around 4 years old. At this time he was sent to a nearby Catholic school. This institution believed in violent forms of discipline that was the norm for Catholic schools of that era. Not only was this the beginning of his academic career, but was also the beginning of his contempt for the structure and rules that learning institutions forced upon their students.

Albert was later enrolled at Luitpold Gymnasium, a high school where he discovered his love for mathematics and science. However, even with the love of these subjects, Albert lost interest with the rigid system and dull teachings that were provided. This loss of interest is what led to some teachers regarding him as lazy and unmotivated, and to also make remarks predicting that he would never amount to anything. Of course, we all know how wrong that was.

Unfortunately, due to his Dad's poor business sense, the family had to pack up and move once again. Jacob, Hermann's younger brother, persuaded the family to move to Italy where the future perhaps was a little brighter. This time, however, Albert was told to stay and finish his education. Albert, of course, did not like this, and got himself expelled from school due to emotional problems. Although, he was expelled, it gave him reason to finally meet up with his family in Italy.

Einstein, after taking some entrance exams, later enrolled at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. There he was able to indulge and come into his own by being a true college student. He went to which ever classes he felt like going to, read what he liked, dressed how he wanted, and spent a lot of time in cafes and bars. During this time outside of class, most of his time was spent discussing philosophical questions such as the meaning of life. This attitude led to him barely graduating college and barely preparing him for the working life.

Luckily, through the help of his friend, Albert was hired at the Patent Office. There he spent most of his time thinking about physics, being that his work was not challenging enough for a man with a mind so powerful. Eventually, he moved away from that job and soon became a renowned scientist. This scientific maturity was accelerated by the fact that he had such an intelligent group of peers, where they would discuss the sciences, mainly physics.

Einstein was eventually married and even had children. Even with his family established, Albert's first love was that of physics. As his love grew, so did his eccentricity which resulted in some of the most ground breaking of ideas, for example quantum physics. Einstein was renowned as a Nobel Prize winner and was also known as the "superfather" of the atomic bomb.

As far as applying Socrates philosophy to Einstein, they both seem to share some similar qualities. The main one that stands out is the concept of unpopularity, or really doing what isn't considered the norm. Einstein was against doing things the normal way, for example the whole process of going to school, trying to get good grades, and graduating. Einstein did none of these. He attended school when he wanted to, he really didn't try to get good grades, and