Einstein: The Passions of a Scientist

by Barry Parker

Einstein continues to captivate, not only for his revolutionary scientific insights but also for his complex personality and personal pursuits. In this unique contribution to the Einstein literature, physicist and acclaimed science writer Barry Parker draws on the great scientist's letters and personal papers to explore the intellectual and emotional passions that motivated both his work and his life.Parker focuses on five aspects of Einstein's emotional nature that had a profound influence on his life and career. First and foremost was his lifelong passion for learning, not only in the fields of physics but also in mathematics and philosophy. This was manifested early on when he excelled at algebra, and later when he became absorbed with philosophy. Of course in his thinking about time and the nature of light, it was this passion to understand that led to his monumental papers on relativity.Einstein's "second great love" was classical music, especially the music of Mozart. Parker shows that listening to and playing music (he was an accomplished violinist) were not only recreations for Einstein but also provided stimulation for his scientific creativity.His relationships with women also greatly influenced him. Parker examines his two marriages, his liaisons with other women, and his distant relationship with his two sons from his first marriage.Another lifelong passion was his strong antiwar feelings and advocacy for peace. Einstein considered world government the only means to achieve worldwide peace. A chapter is devoted to his efforts to promote the idea of world government.Finally, Parker considers Einstein's obsession with finding a unified theory of physics to explain all the forces of the universe, and his reluctance to accept the indeterminacy of quantum theory. In the opinion of some colleagues, this was a tragedy, for Einstein isolated himself from the rest of the scientific community during the latter part of his life to pursue a lone quest that remained unfulfilled at his death.This is an original, insightful look at one of the greatest geniuses of all time who did so much to shape our vision of the world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Science

300 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Nicholas Sinopoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an outstanding book in my opinion, I got to learn so much about things I had no idea about Einstein. I think that Einstein is one of the most influential people in the world because he had a very interesting life and he worked very hard for his great life as a scientist. He was a very smart man and I love to learn about him. It was an outstanding book I totally recommend this book.

[Juan Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I great read about Einstein's personal life. Even if he is considered a genius, I learned that he also shared many traits of a regular human being. The reader does not require knowledge about physics to understand this book. It focuses more on his personal life rather than in-depth explaining his theories. This is a short and easy to understand biography for everybody.

[Saúl Girón · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitivamente, una vida "normal" para alguien tan anormal como Einstein.
Creo que el enfoque de esta biografía, tan íntimay epistolar, lo hacen una obra muy interesante.

[Çağlayan Taybaş · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dünya’nın en ünlü bilim insanlarından biri olan Albert Einstein bilimsel değil insani yönünü anlatan harika bir kitap olmuş. Yazar Barry Parker Einstein ile ilgili bütün mektup, yazı ve haberleri araştırıp bulmuş ve tarafsız bir dille kitabında yazmış. Einstein’ın ilgilendiği kadınlar, çocuklarıyla olan ilişkileri kitabın temel konusunu oluşturuyor. Dünya savaşları esnasında Almanya’da başlayan Yahudi düşmanlığının Einstein’ı nasıl etkilediği gibi önemli konular da kitabın diğer dikkat çekici yanını oluşturuyor. Fotoğraflarda hep gülümseyen Einstein yerine sinirli, çabuk öfkelenen ve kızdığında gözü hiçbir şey görmeyen ama aynı zamanda müziği ile kadınları baştan çıkaran bir Einstein ile karşılaşmaya hazır olun.

[Poetagrafico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue una gran aventura, el domingo termine de leer este libro que me ayudo a conocer un poco más sobre la interesante vida de Albert Einstein, un ser humano con errores y defectos pero al mismo tiempo un gran ejemplo de emprendimiento.

[Isaiah the Ox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am writing a research paper on Einstein, and this book was very informative on his life, rather than his science. To me, it read like a fiction novel.