Einstein & the Mind of God


Today, Einstein is famous for his discoveries about space and time that changed the way we see the world. But in his day, he was also famous for humanitarian passions that interacted in intriguing ways with his scientific imagination. Delve into Einstein's Jewish identity and his passionate engagement around issues of war and race. Examine Einstein's way of thinking about mystery, eternity, and the mind of God through Einstein's own words and analysis from current leaders in science.

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listen Einstein's God

SHOW: On Being | Length: 51:19 | Audio Format: MP3
Taking Einstein's science as a starting point for exploring the great physicist's perspective on ideas such as mystery, eternity, and the mind of God...
reading Discussion Questions reading Transcript

listen Einstein's Ethics

SHOW: On Being | Length: 51:19 | Audio Format: MP3
String theorist S. James Gates, Jr. and science writer Thomas Levenson delve into Einstein's Jewish identity, his passionate engagement around issues of...
reading Discussion Questions reading Transcript

listen The Mind of Einstein

SHOW: On Being | Length: 53:32 | Audio Format: MP3
Walter Isaacson says it wasn't just Albert Einstein's intelligence that made him the greatest mind of the 20th century...

listen Interview: What is String Theory?

SHOW: On Being | Length: 8:00 | Audio Format: MP3
Being his specialty, Gates gives a brief explanation of "string theory" and how it transcends the standard model of particle theory...

listen Interview: Matter Is Weird Stuff

SHOW: On Being | Length: 3:29 | Audio Format: MP3
Dyson has said, of discoveries in quantum physics, "matter is weird stuff." He explains that statement, including its implications for...

listen Interview: The Stubborn Illusion of Time

SHOW: On Being | Length: 4:12 | Audio Format: MP3
Dyson reflects on Einstein's words, as well as his own approach to issues of time, mortality, and death.