No, I do not seriously consider him a Marxist, in the vulgar and grossly incorrect, yet commonly accepted in the West sense of the word. But, considering his unmistakable socialist leanings and his numerous deliberate and extemporaneous comments on the immorality of capitalist pursuits, he comes across as a wonderfully congenial Bernsteinian figure, an epitomic embodiment of well-matured, middle-aged, respectable Marxist ethic, at its neglected, suppressed, and habitually misinterpreted best.
My comments on Einstein are liberally sprinkled throughout several sections of this book, and, unashamed of the repetition, here again am I delighted to be quoting his sharp and unequivocal indictment not so much of capitalism per se, as of the peculiar capitalist mindset:
"This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism… An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career." (Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?)
Leaving Einstein’s scientific genius aside, here is a comment of his, which endears this man to me, not as the prodigy behind the e=mc² formula, but primarily as a kindred spirit; and it is this aspect of him that I will be pursuing much further, later on.
My comments on Einstein are liberally sprinkled throughout several sections of this book, and, unashamed of the repetition, here again am I delighted to be quoting his sharp and unequivocal indictment not so much of capitalism per se, as of the peculiar capitalist mindset:
"This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism… An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career." (Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?)
Leaving Einstein’s scientific genius aside, here is a comment of his, which endears this man to me, not as the prodigy behind the e=mc² formula, but primarily as a kindred spirit; and it is this aspect of him that I will be pursuing much further, later on.
There's only one problem I see with Einstein's analysis in the quote you provided.
ReplyDeleteWhat he says isn't true. Capitalism inculcates nothing in students in the way that socialism does just that. Capitalism doesn't require training students to worship material acquisition, in the way socialism teaches materialism.
Capitalism is not at all like socialism, in that the former is a function of a societal system and the latter is a societal system dictating the function.
Capitalism is essentially market activity with restrictions placed on it according to the philosophies and politics of the nation in question. Socialism is an entire philosophy, worldview and guided approach to life under which all aspects of the society functions, including economics.
Einstein was a great scientist of course. But his views on socialism were naive and uninformed.