from Mike Bock: How Did Einstein Become Einstein?

How Did Einstein Become Einstein?
Einstein’s Science Failed To Teach Him About Himself

by Mike Bock

Einstein, in a book by Walter Isaacson, is quoted in Time Magazine as saying some pretty amazing things about human nature. Einstein says,

“Human beings in their thinking, feeling and acting are not free, but are as causally bound as the stars in their motions.” And, he says, “I am a determinist. I do not believe in free will.”

These assertions astonish. If Einstein is right, we have no choice as to how or what we think, how we perceive reality, how we make decisions. Einstein liked and agreed with Shopenhauer’s statement: “A man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills.” Amazing. Time Magazine quotes Einstein as saying, “Jews believe in free will. They believe that a man shapes his own life. I reject that doctrine. In that respect I am not a Jew.”

I am wondering why Einstein would make such contrarian claims about the nature of humans. His view, it seems, are determined by his science. Einstein is quoted as saying, “Science can be created only by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding.” It was Einstein’s commitment to truth, it seems to me, that powered his thinking, and that produced his astonishing discoveries. When Einstein says that he is a determinist, I am guessing, he is staking out a claim to a scientifically derived hypothesis about reality: that in this universe, all is determined. And if all is determined, then, it follows, there can be no free will.

Certainly we feel like we have freedom to choose our own life’s paths. It is surprising that Einstein says No. The first impulse is simply to dismiss Einstein’s view as impossible. But, the fact that other Einsteinian ideas, that initially seemed impossible, later proved to be true should give us pause. I am wondering if Einstein discovered a basic insight into man’s nature through science that others have discovered through contemplation. I’m wondering, if maybe, in a profound way, Einstein is right. Einstein’s conclusion about humanity supports the notion that, yes, we are all sheep; yes, we are all plugged into the matrix. It is not hard to believe that humanity is sleeping; the evidence seems everywhere. It is hard to accept, however, that I, as an individual, have no more freedom to choose my path than the stars have freedom to choose their paths.

Einstein offers a hard doctrine. A great teacher may emphasize how those who think they are free, in fact, are totally enslaved -- as a means to convince his listeners as to the reality of their situation and as a way to convict his listeners that they are in desperate need for salvation, for inner change. What makes Einstein’s doctrine of free will so devastating, however, is that Einstein offers no path to salvation, even for the exceptional person -- no way to rise above the bounds of causality, no way to awaken. Einstein is recognized as a genius, but in this matter of free will, we must hope that he is wrong. If Einstein is right, then humanity is doomed.

It is hard to understand how Einstein could conceive that there is no free will. It seems to me that Einstein’s scientific insight failed him. It failed to help him to accomplish the most ancient of educational goals: “Know Thyself.” Einstein, in his own life, ascended to a consciousness where his intellect could flourish. A good question: how did that happen? Einstein did not believe in human exceptionalism, yet, it seems to me, a great model of exception was ever before him: his own self. Einstein grew into Einstein -- not a trivial accomplishment. Einsteins don’t just pop up. It seems to me that it is likely that Einstein grew into Einstein not through the forces of causality, but, through humility, through deliberate awareness, through a commitment to truth, and, through a conscious willingness to suffer for the sake of truth. And, is that not the path to growth that is available to everyone?