May 22, 2014 - Sale 2351

Sale 2351 - Lot 61

Price Realized: $ 30,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
"I PERSONALLY AM UNABLE TO BELIEVE IN A PERSONAL GOD" EINSTEIN, ALBERT. Typed Letter Signed, "A. Einstein," to Joseph Levine, stating that physical theory and religious belief are independent of each other, and adding that he does not believe in a personal god. 1/2 page, tall 4to, air letter form with personal address blind-stamped at upper edge; chipping and small holes along upper edge with minor loss to blind-stamped address, short separations at folds, minor scattered soiling. Princeton, 24 March 1954
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". . . Any physical theory and consequently also the theory of relativity is concerned with the structure of the physical world and therefore neutral to religious beliefs.
"I personally am unable to believe in a personal God, believing that such anthropomorphical concepts should not be used in the non-human sphere."
Especially late in life, Einstein felt responsible for protecting the public whenever possible from confusion between physical theory and religious belief. In another example, Einstein writes to a journalist on May 18, 1954: "It is incomprehensible to me that you connect the lawfulness of the inner structure of the physical world with 'God's love'. . ." (Christie's New York, December 16, 2004, lot 379).