Albert Einstein, Philosopher-Scientist

by Paul Arthur Schilpp

Written by the man considered the "Person of the Century" by Time magazine, this is not a glimpse into Einstein's personal life, but an extension and elaboration into his thinking on science. Two of the great theories of the physical world were created in the early 20th the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein created the theory of relativity and was also one of the founders of quantum theory. Here, Einstein describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity, and of the quanta.

Written in German by Einstein himself, the book is faced, page-by-page, with a translation by the noted Professor of Philosophy Paul Arthur Schilpp.

Genres: Science, Philosophy, Biography, Physics, Memoir, Nonfiction

800 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Cory K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courage the cowardly dog

[Mark Lisac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why would I give a 4-star rating to a book when I understood probably a little less than half of it? Because it's intellectually engaging, because it explains some basic concepts of science and philosophy that remain relevant today despite further advances in physics since 1950, and because it offers a glimpse of how some really smart people think.
The opening "autobiography" by Einstein himself was a record of the development of his ideas — the only important thing about his life, he said — and I got only about one-third of the way through it before getting lost. The other essays were hit and miss. Some were comprehensible, some left me feeling drowned in physicists' vocabulary, esoteric algebra, and occasional Greek letters after a page or two. But I'm glad I finally tackled it after letting it sit on the shelf for decades. My copy is the 1959 Harper Torchbooks edition, not listed in Goodreads; it may or may not contain exactly the same essays as are in the later editions.
I must have bought it in a fit of ambition in university and set it aside after finding it tough going. Another example of why it's just as wise never to throw out a good book as never to throw out a potentially useful bit of hardware in the garage.

[B. Scott Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't pretend that I could follow much of what is contained in this volume. My copy was actually published in 1970. His autobiographical notes are revealing and the included essays well worth reading. I'm not qualified to comment on the physics and how well many of the ideas have held up but I think they do provide an important context to much of what is being done today. After all, we are standing on the shoulders of giants.

[Remo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breves, muy breves notas autobiográficas, seguidas de su libro de divulgación sobre relatividad y una selección de artículos no científicos publicados en revistas varias. Einstein era maravilloso y tal, pero nunca conseguí sentirme atraído por su estilo divulgador. Hay artículos interesantes pero la parte de la relatividad no me gustó (en ese mismo año yo estaba dando relatividad en clase, podía comparar directamente lo que nos contaba el autor con los que nos contaba el profesor, y ganaba siempre el profesor). En cualquier caso lectura interesante por razones históricas.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book of essays that were written about Albert Einstein and his ideas by fellow physicists and mathematicians. If you want a glimpse of the man from his contemporaries' perspectives, this is great material. I came across it when researching Einstein & the Theory of Relativity, and I wish that i had found it sooner as it gathered a number of insightful pieces in one place.

[Frank Spencer]

Part of a distinguished series

[Ness Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bella la prima parte scritta da Einstein un po' lenta la seconda degli altri autori.