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The Essential Einstein: Public Writings

  • Albert Einstein
  • Edited by: Diana Kormos Buchwald and Tilman Sauer
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2025
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About this book

The ultimate collection of Einstein’s public writings on everything from religion and art to pacifism and the atomic bomb

The Essential Einstein: Public Writings presents a rich selection of Einstein’s humanistic writings drawn from a diverse array of materials he sanctioned for publication during his lifetime. Distinct from previous collections, this incisive book presents previously excerpted works in their entirety, including key articles, lectures, and speeches. These writings delve into significant topics such as philosophy, religion, and art, but also specific important and often contentious issues in education, politics, disarmament, pacifism, international cooperation, the atomic bomb, and Zionism. Among these works, readers will find the brilliant “Notes for an Autobiography” alongside selected popular science articles, which offer a profound understanding of Einstein’s ethical and political worldview.

The Essential Einstein is a two-volume compendium offering general readers and specialists alike a comprehensive resource on the pivotal writings of Albert Einstein. Organized chronologically by leading authorities on Einstein and his work, this collection illuminates the evolution of Einstein’s scientific and humanistic ideas throughout his life. Each selection is accompanied by explanatory notes that detail the work’s background and significance.

Together with The Essential Einstein: Scientific Writings, this authoritative collection invites a deeper engagement with the intellectual legacy and enduring influence of Albert Einstein.

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    Frontmatter

    i
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  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    v
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  • Publicly Available

    Introduction to the Public Writings

    xi
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    1. On the Principle of Relativity (1914)

    1
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    2. Inaugural Lecture at the Prussian Academy of Sciences (1914)

    4
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    3. Manifesto to the Europeans (1914)

    7
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    4. Ernst Mach (1916)

    10
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    5. My Opinion on the War (1916)

    17
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    6. The Nightmare (1917)

    20
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    7. Motives for Research (1918)

    21
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    8. Dialogue about Objections to the Theory of Relativity (1921)

    24
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    9. Time, Space, and Gravitation (1919)

    34
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    10. Induction and Deduction in Physics (1919)

    39
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    11. Immigration from the East (1919)

    41
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    12. Uproar in the Lecture Hall/An Explanation (1920)

    43
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    13. A Confession (1920)

    44
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    14. Ether and the Theory of Relativity (1920)

    46
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    15. To the General Association for Popular Technical Education (1920)

    57
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    16. On New Sources of Energy (1920)

    58
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    17. My Response: On the Anti-Relativity Company (1920)

    60
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    18. On the Contribution of Intellectuals to International Reconciliation (1920)

    63
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    19. The Common Element in Artistic and Scientific Experience (1921)

    65
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    20. Geometry and Experience (1921)

    65
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    21. How I Became a Zionist (1921)

    78
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    22. The Development and Present Position of the Theory of Relativity (1921)

    83
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    23. On a Jewish Palestine (1921)

    86
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    24. The Impact of Science on the Development of Pacifism (1921)

    89
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    25. The Plight of German Science: A Danger for the Nation (1921)

    90
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    26. Preface to Bertrand Russell’s Political Ideals (1922)

    92
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    27. Review of Wolfgang Pauli, The Theory of Relativity (1922)

    93
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    28. In Memoriam Walther Rathenau (1922)

    94
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    29. On the Present Crisis of Theoretical Physics (1922)

    96
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    30. Musings on My Impressions in Japan (1923)

    102
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    31. My Impressions of Palestine (1923)

    107
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    32. Antisemitism and Academic Youth (1923)

    110
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    33. Review of Josef Winternitz’s Relativity Theory and Epistemology (1923)

    112
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    34. Sound Recording for the Prussian State Library (1924)

    115
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    35. The Compton Experiment: Does Science Exist for Its Own Sake? (1924)

    116
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    36. On the League of Nations (1924)

    121
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    37. Review of Alfred C. Elsbach’s Kant and Einstein (1924)

    123
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    38. Non-Euclidean Geometry and Physics (1925)

    130
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    39. Introductory Letter to Letters from Russian Prisons (1925)

    135
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    40. Why Zionism/A Message (1925)

    136
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    41. Pan-Europe (1925)

    138
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    42. The Mission of the Hebrew University/ A Word for the Journey (1925)

    141
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    43. On Ideals (1925)

    143
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    44. Space-Time, Encyclopædia Britannica (1926)

    146
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    45. New Experiments on the Effect of the Earth’s Motion on Light Velocity with Respect to the Earth (1927)

    157
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    46. Speech at Rally for the Keren Ha-Yesod in Berlin (1926)

    160
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    47. Newton’s Mechanics and Its Influence on the Formation of Theoretical Physics (1927)

    161
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    48. Review of Émile Meyerson’s La Déduction Relativiste (1928)

    169
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    49. The New Field Theory (1929)

    174
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    50. Einstein Believes in Spinoza’s God (1929)

    183
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    51. The Palestine Troubles (1929)

    185
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    52. To a Young Scholar (1929)

    192
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    53. What I Believe: Living Philosophies XIII (1930)

    193
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    54. Religion and Science (1930)

    197
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    55. Militant Pacifism/The Two Percent Speech (1930)

    201
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    56. Some Remarks Concerning My American Impressions (1931)

    203
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    57. The 1932 Disarmament Conference (1931)

    206
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    58. To American Negroes (1932)

    208
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    59. Why War? (1932)

    210
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    60. Is There a Jewish Philosophy? (1932)

    213
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    61. Statement on Hitler upon Leaving Pasadena (1933)

    215
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    62. Letter of Resignation from the Prussian Academy of Sciences (1933)

    216
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    63. Militant Pacifism No More (1933)

    217
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    64. On the Method of Theoretical Physics/The Herbert Spencer Lecture (1933)

    218
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    65. Science and Civilization/The Albert Hall Speech (1933)

    225
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    66. Foreword to “The Contribution of the Jews of Germany to German Civilization” (1933)

    228
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    67. On Germany and Hitler (1935)

    230
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    68. Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1936)

    231
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    69. The Calling of the Jews (1936)

    236
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    70. Why Do They Hate the Jews? (1938)

    238
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    71. Our Debt to Zionism (1938)

    245
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    72. Ten Fateful Years: Living Philosophies, Revised (1938)

    247
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    73. Letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt (1939)

    250
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    74. Freedom and Science (1940)

    252
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    75. The Common Language of Science (1942)

    255
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    76. Newton’s 300th Birthday (1942)

    258
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    77. Remarks on Bertrand Russell’s Theory of Knowledge (1944)

    262
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    78. To the Heroes of the Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto (1944)

    268
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    79. On the Atomic Bomb (1945)

    269
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    80. On the American Council for Judaism (1945)

    274
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    81. Commemorative Words for Franklin D. Roosevelt (1945)

    275
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    82. The Way Out (1946)

    277
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    83. Foreword to Spinoza: Portrait of a Spiritual Hero (1946)

    281
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    84. A Message to My Adopted Country (1946)

    283
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    85. The Military Mentality (1947)

    285
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    86. In the Shadow of the Atomic Bomb (1947)

    287
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    87. A Plea for International Understanding (1947)

    289
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    88. Quantum Mechanics and Reality (1948)

    291
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    89. A Reply to the Soviet Scientists (1948)

    296
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    90. Religion and Science: Irreconcilable? (1948)

    302
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    91. Why Socialism? (1949)

    305
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    92. Autobiographical Notes (1949)

    312
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    93. Statement to the Society for Social Responsibility in Science (1950)

    353
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    94. Letter Declining the Presidency of Israel (1952)

    354
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    95. Elementary Considerations on the Interpretation of the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (1953)

    355
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    96. Recollections–Souvenirs (1955)

    361
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    Bibliography

    369
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    Index

    375

Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
September 23, 2025
eBook ISBN:
9780691272191
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691272191
eBook ISBN: 9780691272191
Keywords for this book
history of science; history of physics; philosophy of physics; quantum theory; relativity theory; statistical physics; EPR paradox; astronomy; cosmology; unified field theory; pacifism; education; peace; disarmament; civil rights; atomic bomb; League of Nations; Israel; Palestine; Zionism; refugees; Nazism; Fascism; antimilitarism; antisemitism; World War I; World War II; Communism; Socialism; McCarthyism; countries; Germany; Austria; France; Italy; England; Russia; Soviet Union; China; Japan; South America; Albert Einstein; humanistic writings; public writings; Essential Einstein; philosophy; religion; art; politics; international cooperation; autobiography; popular science; ethical worldview; political worldview; scientific writings; intellectual legacy; chronological organization; explanatory notes; Einstein authorities; comprehensive resource; general readers; specialists; pivotal writings; evolution of ideas; scientific ideas; humanistic ideas; Einstein's work; background significance; two-volume compendium; authoritative collection
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
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