Albert Einstein
1879-1955 · Philosophy of Science · Household name
Einstein was a German-born physicist whose theories of relativity remade how we understand space, time and gravitation. Asked whether he believed in God, he pointed to Spinoza's: the lawful order of nature rather than a being who answers prayers. He read the universe as lawful through and through, which is why quantum randomness bothered him for thirty years. The line about dice was a complaint about physics.
Signature
The position Einstein is most identified with in the Profiler:
- Nature of Reality
- leans Unity
- Theology
- Pantheism / Panentheism
Positions on the 12 axes the sources answer
- Natural Processes
- leans Mechanistic (25 on a 0–100 scale from Mechanistic to Purposeful)
- Society
- mildly between Collectivism and Individualism (50 on a 0–100 scale from Collectivism to Individualism)
- Meaning
- leans Constructed (28 on a 0–100 scale from Constructed to Inherent)
- Order
- mildly leans Horizontal (62 on a 0–100 scale from Vertical to Horizontal)
- Nature of Reality
- leans Unity (25 on a 0–100 scale from Unity to Multiplicity)
- Ground of Being
- leans Immanence (25 on a 0–100 scale from Immanence to Transcendence)
- Truth
- strongly leans Objective (97 on a 0–100 scale from Subjective to Objective)
- Polity
- leans Liberalism (72 on a 0–100 scale from Illiberalism to Liberalism)
- War
- mildly leans Pacifism (32 on a 0–100 scale from Pacifism to Militarism)
- Ignorance
- strongly leans Bondage (0 on a 0–100 scale from Bondage to Bliss)
- Conviction
- leans Uncertain (28 on a 0–100 scale from Uncertain to Certain)
- Allegiance
- leans Global (78 on a 0–100 scale from Local to Global)
8 of 20 axes are left blank: the sources do not answer them, or Einstein refused the framing. Nothing is imputed; a blank is not a middling score.
Foundational questions
- Theology
- Pantheism / Panentheism
What is your position on the existence and nature of God or gods? - Government
- Representative Democracy / One World Order
What is your ideal form of government? - Highest Good
- Knowledge
What is the highest good? - Knowledge
- Pure Reason / Sense Experience
What is the ultimate foundation of knowledge? - Agency
- Hard Determinism
What is the nature of human agency and freedom? - Beginning of Things
- Eternal Cosmos
What is the origin of reality? - Time
- Block Universe
What is the fundamental shape of time? - Economy
- State Socialism / Cooperative Commonwealth
What is the ideal organization of economic life? - Authority
- Consent of the Governed
What is the legitimate source of authority? - Law
- Cosmopolitan Rights
What is the ultimate source of legitimate law? - Death
- Annihilation
What happens at death? - Role of Emotion
- Path to the Divine
What is the proper role of emotion? - Human Nature
- Evolved Animal
What is human nature? - Primary Bond
- Humanity
What is your primary bond and loyalty?