Science and religion were never apt to mix. They always contradict each other as was proven by this letter from 1950 penned by Albert Einstein. This was in response to a query given to him by Mrs. Martha Munk, the wife of a well-known rabbi and religious teacher. In the letter dated April 11th, 1950, Mrs. Munk asked Einstein if it was possible for a modern scientist to consider the idea of the universe to be created by God and if it can be backed up by scientific evidence.
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circa 1955: Mathematical physicist Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) delivers one of his recorded lectures.
Einstein, being a well-educated German gentleman, answered the nice woman's question politely. He answered by truthfully outlining how a scientist following the principles of scientific thinking would find it hard to accept the creation story in the Book of Genesis. He further elaborated by adidng, "The person who is more or less trained in scientific thinking is alien to the religious creation of the cosmos because he applies the standard of causal conditionality to everything,"
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Einstein's German Roots
Coming from the political strife of pre-world war 2 Germany at that time, the 1930s wasn't kind to Einstein. His son, Eduard was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1930 and was sent to an institution, never to be released. Paul Ehrenfest, a fellow physicist and his personal friend, committed suicide in 1933. Even his beloved wife, Elsa, passed away in 1936. In context, things weren't going so well for Albert.
After leaving Germany in 1932, he settled in at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. His coming made that research hub an instant success in physics. Finally, Einstein was granted US citizenship in 1940, though he still chose to keep his Swiss citizenship.
The letter's journey to the auction block isn't straightforward at all. Mrs. Munk's descendants kept it hidden (or didn't know of its existence) from the world. There was no record of it being sold or being shown in an exhibition ever. Now, it will go to the hands of a serious collector for an astonishing $125,000, offered by the autograph dealer "The Raab Collection."
The president of the collection, Nathan Raab, was ecstatic when he found out about the letter's existence. "The feeling that I get when I see something like this, which is so personally and so scientifically evocative of the great 20th-century debate, from the pen of Albert Einstein, is just pure excitement," Raab said.
It's not the first time Einstein's private letters have drawn a lot of interest. The renowned "God Letter," which was addressed in 1954 to philosopher Eric Gutkind, brought in an astounding $3 million in 2018. Clearly, even after his death, the world is still fascinated by Einstein's ideas on religion, God, and the cosmos.
As the bidding war for this unique piece of history ensues, scholars, scientists, and history enthusiasts alike eagerly await the chance to own a tangible relic that carries the profound thoughts of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. With its potential to reshape perspectives on science and religion, this letter is not just an artifact but a testament to the eternal quest for knowledge and truth.
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