When Wiener Met Einstein

This was fascinating:

“ Indeed, ominous for Einstein to predict that the leadership of civilization would pass to America and ultimately Asia. Einstein‘s admiration for the United States appears to have begun in 1921, when he visited New York City for the first time. As he then wrote in an essay entitled ‘My First Impression of the U.S.A.’, he was surprised to find that “What strikes a visitor is the joyous, positive attitude to life […] ”

> He deplores the flooding of the literature by immature, idea-less papers, ...

I doubt he would find things much improved in that regard today.

A nice recollection of some events in the spring of modern science. Russian revolution happened just recently, and Hitler didn't yet get to power, although a German magazine printed a list of “enemies of the German regime”. Heisenberg is about to publish his paper, Marie Curie and Hendrik Lorentz - two-times Novel laureates - participate in intellectual cooperation committee, the large part of XX century - WWII, Hiroshima, moon landing, Cold War - are still ahead in the future.

> Einstein was often criticized for his support of the Soviet Union and socialist ideals.

Interesting. So he didn't like that German regime targeted people like himself, but liked another regime that targeted other people? You cannot choose whether you are born to a rich family, the same way you cannot choose what kind of world you enter into. Both systems used death to achieve their similar goals. I find it quite surprising that such supposedly smart person didn't have enough empathy to see a different way. Maybe scientists shouldn't get themselves involved in politics or pick sides.