Einstein and Twentieth-Century Politics
'A Salutary Moral Influence'
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:6th Oct '16
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Albert Einstein, world-renowned as a physicist, was also publicly committed to radical political views. Despite the vast literature on Einstein, Einstein and Twentieth- Century Politics is the first comprehensive study of his politics, covering his opinions and campaigns on pacifism, Zionism, control of nuclear weapons, world government, freedom, and racial equality. Most studies look at Einstein in isolation but here he is viewed alongside a 'liberal international' of global intellectuals, including Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Bertrand Russell, H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Romain Rolland, Thomas Mann, and John Dewey. Frequently called upon to join campaigns on great issues of war, peace, and social values, they all knew or corresponded with Einstein. This volume examines how Einstein and comparable intellectuals sought to exert a 'salutary influence', as Einstein put it in a letter to Freud. Close attention is given to the unique qualities Einstein brought to his interventions in political debate. His influence derived in the first instance from his celebrity status as the scientist of genius whose theory of relativity was both incomprehensible to most and seemingly relevant to many aspects of aspects of culture and the cosmos. Einstein's complex and enigmatic personality, which combined intense devotion to privacy and a capacity to perform on the public stage, also contributed to the Einstein myth. Studying Einstein's politics, it is argued here, takes us not only into the mind of Einstein but to the heart of the great public issues of the twentieth century.
the first book to survey the range of Einstein's political activism historically, from his public opposition to Germany's role in the First World War until his death in 1955. In engaging, non-academic prose ... the book offers stimulating analysis of the effects of Einstein's words and actions * Andrew Robinson, The Daily Telegraph *
Crockatt's in-depth analysis of Einstein's different political causes, their contradictions and intersections, contributes greatly to a fuller understanding of not only Einstein as a public intellectual but also the twentieth-century political causes he engaged. * Adi Gordon, Journal of Modern History *
Crockatt's deft pen and thoughtful approach form an engaging and revealing image of Einstein the non-scientist. He marshals a wealth of material into a convincing narrative ... Einstein and Twentieth-Century Politics delivers what Crockatt promises: a picture of Einstein's world and mind, conveyed with an insightful brush. And these issues political and philosophical are sufficiently complex that they will surely live to see many other interpretations. * Nancy Thorndike Greenspan, Nature *
This highly informative study makes compelling reading for anyone curious about Einstein's place on the spectrum of 20th-century political thought. * David E Rowe, Annals of Science *
Crockatts framework thus provides a useful tool for reassessment of the continuities and contradictions in Einsteins views over several decades and in various political campaigns...Crockatts insightful introduction to Einsteins politics stands out...for its broad scope and nuanced analysis. * Ofer Ashkenazi, European History Quarterly. *
ISBN: 9780198785491
Dimensions: 236mm x 162mm x 20mm
Weight: 514g
252 pages