Ich vertraue auf Intuition: Der andere Albert Einstein

by Abraham Pais

Few people have understood what Einstein said, thought, and did, but many are hungry to know more about him. In this volume, Abraham Pais enlarges on how Einstein was perceived by the world at large. Here we learn his views on religion and philosophy, his marital problems, and his contacts with great figures of the day -- from John D. Rockefeller to Charlie Chaplin, Freud to Ghandi. Also included are interviews that convey Einstein's vivid style of expression and his willingness to speak on various issues -- on pacifism, supranationalism, and civil liberties, among others. As a physicist who knew Einstein for several years, Abraham Pais offers the layman a balanced view of a great thinker, Einstein as scientist and as personality.

"The ideal Einstein book for non-physicists." (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning historian)

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Physics, History Of Science, Science

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 1994

About the author

Abraham Pais was a physicist, specialising in particle physics, who became a well-known science historian later in life, having worked closely with prominent scientists such as Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein.

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a cradle-to-the-grave biography, these pages contain the genius as a heap of fragments. This is Einstein the public figure, seen in the wild, glimpsed at through what he said and what others said about him. Maybe not the most satisfying reading experience with all its start-stops and snapbacks, but undeniably an evocative and charming one, like being talked at by the great man. As it came to an end, I felt something like bereavement.

[Jeff Clausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually 3.5 stars for me, but that’s not really a reflection on the quality of the book, more a reflection of my ability to handle chapters crammed with physics principles, along with chapters delving deeply into Jewish politics. Both topics challenge my attention span. Much of the book, however, deals with Einstein the husband, the father, the friend, and my humanist side firmly enjoys this part of the great man. And much of this volume is also given over to long quotes from Einstein’s writing and speeches, which shows a fabulous style and conciseness. If I ever run across any prose from this Nobel Prize winner, it may also have been worthy of a Pulitzer Prize, he wrote that well.

[Patricia Sigaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ótima leitura que apresenta aspectos da vida de Einstein (não só sobre a carreira, mas a posição dele em relação a assuntos diversos, que provavelmente a maioria das pessoas já refletiram a respeito e tenham uma opinião), fazendo com que o leitor consiga se identificar (ou não) com o físico. Também cita aspectos técnicos do trabalho de Einstein, bem interessante para quem gosta do assunto, talvez não muito para quem não seja de uma área relacionada (mas acho que mesmo nesse último caso, a leitura vale a pena).

O único porém é que a versão em Português tem vários erros ortográficos ou de tradução (palavras colocadas na mesma ordem que em Inglês ou que não fazem sentido no contexto, mas pensando na palavra em Inglês, com outra tradução, faria sentido, etc). Mas nada que atrapalhe a leitura.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-referenced odds and ends about Einstein's life -- his marriages, how he got the Nobel prize for something other than relativity, his relationship with Bohr, the press, etc. Interesting for the most part, well-written, but rather dry and some of the chapters interested me not at all.