Einstein- Husband, Lover and Father

evilsheep writes "A large collection of correspondence shedding light on Einstein's personal life and perspectives was made public today by The Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Spanning almost 3500 pages, the correspondence encompasses letters to and from his first and second wives and children between the years 1912- 1955.This newly released batch of letters fill in details to create a 'higher resolution' image of Einstein beyond what was previously known of his personal life. The collection has been in the Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University for many years, but was not made public in accordance with the will of Einstein's stepdaughter, Margot, who specified that they not be revealed until 20 years after her death. Margot died in July 1986. Einstein wrote almost daily letters to his second wife Elsa and to her daughter Margot whilst away from home about delivering and listening to boring lectures, playing music with friends, or trying to stop smoking."

Comments

Re:misleading

[GuruBuckaroo]

I have a stepbrother with schizophrenia. I've seen the effect it has on his father, my mother, and all of those around him. I've also thought that it may have been better that he never been born. Doesn't mean I wish he hadn't, but it certainly would have been easier.

For years, his father watched him deteriorate, and could get no help for him. No-one treated his problem as serious - until he put an axe in his girlfriend's back. Since then, he has spent his life in institutions (thankfully not prison, which would be no help at all). He cannot live alone, has almost no social skills, and is very easily shaken into paranoid episodes - which cause him to quit taking his meds, which make it all worse. Yet through it all, his father has remained supportive, trying his best to cope with his son's illness, and my mother as well - who volunteered into this relationship, knowing (but perhaps not really knowing) how bad it could get. They do not wish he were never born. But still, perhaps it would have been better... How would you feel, if this were your son?

Thoughts such as these do not make a person less noble. They make him human.

First Daughter?

[Mr Foobar]

Didn't Einstein have a daughter from his first marriage that basically disappeared, and whom nobody really knows what happened to her? I always found it curious that such a smart man could also have such a lousy private life.

Do these letters say anything about her?

Re:First Daughter?

[Kjella]

I always found it curious that such a smart man could also have such a lousy private life.

Give me a good reason why high intelligence should lead to a good private life, really. For one, being very good at school is not the best way to get liked - nobody likes to feel stupid. In fact, I think there's an evil circle where lack of social contact leads to poor social skills which lead to lack of social contact, and nerds seem to get the worst of it. A retarded kid has greater chances to be included on the pity factor than a nerd.

For better or worse, you think different. Often you think deeper, which means being more "responsible" and not doing all the crazy things that seem to strike some people like lightning. Sometimes it's very hard to "think down" to your peer's level - you're simply thinking on different levels and that makes it really hard to build those tight personal connections. In lack fo a better term, that the chemistry is lacking. Nevermind if you're so bright you skip ahead classes - losing a lot of the normal social circle.

Some go completely introvert in their own intelligence and think they're superior to everyone else. Arrogance is not a good way to build good private lives. Nor does being intelligent equate to being interesting or funny. In fact, logic is often too serious, cold and calculating to make good social conversation. Does intelligence help you tell a good joke? Liven up a party? Not from what I've seen.

And do you want to know the worst part of a rational analyzing brain? It corrupts emotion. If you got a brain that will analyse why you're happy now, why you like him as a friend, why you are falling in love with that girl, you crush the emotion. If you're not able to funnel that into your work, or some other way to just enjoy and saviour the moment, saviour the feeling then your private life will suck.

The worst case I can recollect is Taylor (from Taylorism) that was so fixated on timetracking that he tracked himself having breakfast. All in the name of logic and efficiency. You're just not supposed to know the $/kg price of your fishing hobby. You're not supposed to be logical all the time, or even most of the time.

I've seen many people that appear to be very happy - though they aren't particularly successful at love, fortune or otherwise. To me that sums up to "ok, but could have been a whole lot better" which is logic speaking. They are happy - irrationally happy - but happy none the less. I envy them.

Re:Einstein; inhumane?

[GabrielF]

Actually, these new documents seem to change his public image for the better. He used to be known as a completely uninvolved and irresponsible father, but these documents show that at least later in life he really cared about his second wife and one of his kids. People change as they get older. Einstein certainly wouldn't have signed the famous letter to Roosevelt advocating the development of the atomic bomb after the war - although one could certainly argue about whether that means anything.

Offtopic. Tesla's Birthday!

[Anonymous Coward]

With all due respect to Einstein, what I really want to see today is a story covering Nikola Tesla's 150th anniversary (he was born 150 years ago today, July 10th 1856).

Why Criticize?

[mcguiver]

Sure Einstein had some faults, but don't we all? Instead of reading these correspondences with criticizem for his faults lets just be greatful that we have so much information on him so we can learn from his genius as well as his blunders. Here's to the memory of a great man!!!!

I completely disagree.

[CyberLord Seven]

The value of seeing someone similar to yourself excelling in a given field does wonders for self esteem and self confidence.

If Einstein's first wife participated in the 1905 papers and was never given credit for such an incredible accomplishment, women were indeed deprived of a role model.

Yes, women can look to Victor Weisskopf, Richard Feynman, and Wolfgang Pauli for inspiration, but it is NOT the same, especially considering that a woman, Mileva Einstein, may have co-authored the greatest physics papers of the twentieth century.

What you won't find in his letters

[WillAffleckUW]

is that when my mother was a child, he helped carry her books for her at Princeton after school - my grandmother was working there at the time.

Basically, he was a nice guy to kids, is what I'm trying to say, no matter what other quirks he may have had.