My Einstein: Essays by Twenty-Four of the World's Leading Thinkers on the Man, His Work, and His Legacy

by John Brockman (Editor)

Albert Einstein’s bold mark on our understanding of the world, which has persisted now for more than a century, shows no sign of fading. On the contrary, Einstein and his work promise to inspire, enlighten, and confound us for decades—indeed, for centuries—to come.

In this fascinating volume, today’s foremost scientists discuss their own versions and visions of how he has influenced their worldviews, their ideas, their science, and their professional and personal lives. These twenty-four essays are a testament to the power of scientific legacy and are essential reading for scientist and layperson alike.

Contributors
• Roger Highfield on the Einstein myth
• John Archibald Wheeler on his meetings with Einstein
• Gino C. Segrè, Lee Smolin, and Anton Zeilinger on Einstein’s difficulties with quantum theory
• Leon M. Lederman on the special theory of relativity
• Frank J. Tipler on why Einstein should be seen as a scientific reactionary rather than a scientific revolutionary

Genres: Science, Biography, Physics, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Brockman is an American literary agent and author specializing in scientific literature. He established the Edge Foundation, an organization that brings together leading edge thinkers across a broad range of scientific and technical fields.

He is author and editor of several books, including: The Third Culture (1995); The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years (2000); The Next Fifty Years (2002) and The New Humanists (2003).

He has the distinction of being the only person to have been profiled on Page One of the "Science Times" (1997) and the "Arts & Leisure" (1966), both supplements of The New York Times.

Reviews

[Andrew Clarey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great summer read or me. Left me wanting to learn more about the man. The variety of essayists and topics taught me a lot about a man I have always had a lot of respect for.

[Almodather Awad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays on various aspects of Einstein's life, written by colleagues and contemporaries, is a really good tribute to the man Albert Einstein, and really sincere one.

[Mark Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the essays are standard scientific biographies of Einstein, with nothing new. A few are ridiculously bad, but a few - amd this is why I gave it 4 stars - are excellent.

The three best are those by Lee Smolin, Jeremy Bernstein, and George Johnson. These three are funny and insightful. But most of all they give a deep *personal* account of that Einstein meant to them. They truly reveal “their Einstein.”

[Leela Turanga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naozaj motivujúca kniha.. Môžete byť nikto, s ľavými rukami a so schopnosťou ťažko napočítať do desať, ale ak vás niečo zaujíma natoľko, že tomu budete venovať dostatok času a pozornosti, tak sa naučíte všetko, čo budete potrebovať a budete môcť robiť čo len chcete a nikto vás nezastaví.