Thread: Einstein and some of his philosophical views.

Does anyone reading this right now feel like they are at a mad tea party of some kind? All I did was quote Einstein which was the point of the thread. It's not a lie sand form sorry if I upset you I didn't mean to do that I just thought all the confusion is funny.

skysaw all my quotes were complete not half a quote of a sentence.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

Does anyone reading this right now feel like they are at a mad tea party of some kind? All I did was quote Einstein which was the point of the thread. It's not a lie sand form sorry if I upset you I didn't mean to do that I just thought all the confusion is funny.

I'm not saying your lying about what Einstein said, see how you are taking things out of context.

I said you lied about what I said. Which you are (again) doing now.

As for the "point" of the thread.

The point of the thread is to FULLY quote Einstein so that he doesn't get misinterpreted. That includes all relevant information said before and after the qoute.

I'm not lieing sandform, and I did fully quote Einstein.

Sure, but if you stick with the word God, the whole world will understand and know what you talk about, since the whole world is familiar with the concept of God. Thats why Einstein also used God. It's a way of communication. Also understanding God is the key to understand the Bible or any religious scripture, or to understand anyone talking about God. Like Einstein for example.

Originally Posted by Einstein

God doesn't play with dice.

So each time, from now on, if we want to quote Einstein, we will have to quote everything he ever said so it wouldn't be taken out of context? Doesn't that defy the whole point of quoting?

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

I'm not lieing sandform, and I did fully quote Einstein.

I full qoute is not just one sentence. A full qoute includes why the person said it, and everything before and after the qoute.

If you want an example of full qoutes...Go look at my original postings.

Originally Posted by ChaybaChayba

So each time, from now on, if we want to quote Einstein, we will have to quote everything he ever said so it wouldn't be taken out of context? Doesn't that defy the whole point of quoting?

Um...No?

Its not "everything he ever said." It is everything relevant to what he meant when he said it.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

They are scared of the word god or something.....

Of course, that makes sense.

It isn't about the word God. It is about the meaning of ANY qoute. A qoute should not ever be qouted in such a way so that its meaning isn't directly understood.

When you post a quote that is commonly known by a famous person. It is not up to the individual quoting to write an essay about it. You should know the quote from history and research it on your own. Then you will already know the quote.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

When you post a quote that is commonly known by a famous person. It is not up to the individual quoting to write an essay about it. You should know the quote from history and research it on your own. Then you will already know the quote.

When your in a thread about the actual qoutes from a "famous person" where the obvious intent is for the qoutes to be COMPLETELY explained...I don't think the person entering the thread should have to research or know the qoute before hand...

If you enter and you POST the qoute, it is however up to that person to explain.

Originally Posted by Sandform

Lol I'm not about to summarize this, that is how misinterpretations get started! I just think it would be best if people stopped looking to Einstein for everything, and if they must, they can just come here to read up.

Quoted for posterity.

The thread is not just about explaining the quotes. I just quoted what he said because what he says obviously reflects his philosophical views. If you want to know more about it, it's not my job to fulfill your needs. Just look it up yourself if you have a problem.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

The thread is not just about explaining the quotes. I just quoted what he said because what he says obviously reflects his philosophical views. If you want to know more about it, it's not my job to fulfill your needs. Just look it up yourself if you have a problem.

If your going to qoute them it IS up to you in THIS thread.

This thread was made so that people wouldn't HAVE to look it up for themselves.

Perhaps I should demonstrate?


In a letter from Albert Einstein to philosopher Eric Gutkind written in the year before his death, Einstein wrote the following:

Originally Posted by Einstein

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilised interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to do with the original text. For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them.

The letter was auctioned earlier this month at Bloomsbury Auctions in London. Here is an abridged version of the letter published by the Guardian (London): http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...ience.religion

Can't get much clearer than that. And easy as pie.

Well done. You found a letter you like. But the other more classic and direct shorter quotes of wisdom, still exist it doesn't make them go away. I like the short and simple commonly known quotes because it's more difficult to twist his words into something different. With a long letter like that he is trying to explain something about dogma. Rather than just saying his normal thoughts. In this letter his personal views of the bible and the god in the bible. Get in the way of his actual thoughts about reality.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

Well done. You found a letter you like. But the other more classic and direct shorter quotes of wisdom, still exist it doesn't make them go away. I like the short and simple commonly known quotes because it's more difficult to twist his words into something different. With a long letter like that he is trying to explain something about dogma. Rather than just saying his normal thoughts. In this letter his personal views of the bible and the god in the bible. Get in the way of his actual thoughts about reality.

You obviously are a fool, because most of the "short and simple" quotes aren't "short and simple" at all, they come from even larger dialogue and most of the time letters.

In fact most of the quotes you'll find from Einstein are from letters.

"Short and simple" quotes are the most easily twisted anyway.

Sandform can you not get into personal insults with name calling. I am not a fool what I quoted things like "imagination is more important than knowledge". It doesn't come from a long letter from a bunch of summarized paragraphs. He just said it and that's why it's a normal quote. It's very difficult to distort something so basic.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

Well done. You found a letter you like. But the other more classic and direct shorter quotes of wisdom, still exist it doesn't make them go away. I like the short and simple commonly known quotes because it's more difficult to twist his words into something different. With a long letter like that he is trying to explain something about dogma. Rather than just saying his normal thoughts. In this letter his personal views of the bible and the god in the bible. Get in the way of his actual thoughts about reality.

I agree to play by your rules, no matter how foolish I actually find them. And in the spirit of this concession, I have shortened the full letter so that I may distill it all into a single quote:

Originally Posted by Einstein

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses

By your logic, it now holds more weight. Or am I missing something of what you said?

Sandform what diference does it really make to you in regards to Einsteins personal beliefs? Rather he believed in a God or not how does it impact your life?

Hmm well what word should I have used? I could have easily said you are misinformed, but the problem is that things that have to do with your own critical thinking skills define your intelligence, not what you've been told, you weren't just misinformed, you made an ignorant conclusion.

Skysaw you are missing the fact that you didn't quote the full sentence. You accused me of doing that. Now you just did it. This is the full sentence of the quote and he is talking about the god in the bible as he sees it.

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.

Originally Posted by Ne-yo

Sandform what diference does it really make to you in regards to Einsteins personal beliefs? Rather he believed in a God or not how does it impact your life?

It doesn't make a difference to me, it makes a difference to me when ANYONE quotes people out of context, which was the original reason I started this thread. Everyone brings up Einstein, which makes people bring up quotes, which are always not given in their context, and twisted to meet the end of the person quoting.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

Skysaw you are missing the fact that you didn't quote the full sentence. You accused me of doing that. Now you just did it. This is the full sentence of the quote and he is talking about the god in the bible as he sees it.

Exactly. This is what I meant by "playing by your rules."

So now do you prefer your rules or mine? Either is fine by me.

That is not my rules everything I quoted was a full sentence.

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

That is not my rules everything I quoted was a full sentence.

Actually...

Originally Posted by minerva

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Originally Posted by Einstein

I'm enough of an artist to draw freely on my imagination,
which I think is more important than knowledge.

entire quote = "Both. I sometimes feel I am right, but do not know it. When two expeditions of
scientists went to test my theory I was convinced they would confirm my theory. I
wasn't surprised when the results confirmed my intuition, but I would have been
surprised had I been wrong. I'm enough of an artist to draw freely on my imagination,
which I think is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination
encircles the world."

Courtesy of http://www.physiol.ox.ac.uk/~ket/THESWEBII.pdf

Originally Posted by Minervas Phoenix

That is not my rules everything I quoted was a full sentence.

Wow, that's an arbitrary rule, especially since you don't seem to value the surrounding paragraphs. But nonetheless, I promised to play by your rules, so I will.

Just add a period to the end of my quote and ta-daa... it is a full sentence. Not ok? Are you certain that your quotes aren't similarly abridged? Would you like me to demonstrate to you that some of them are? [Edit: Sandform beat me to this, but I'm happy to further demonstrate upon request.]

If not, I will humbly submit his sentence in its entirety:

Originally Posted by Einstein

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.

I'm not sure how that helps your case, but do with it as you like.