Saturday, October 20, 2007

Speaking of Faith - Einstein and God


This is a two part radio program of APM (American Public Media) about Albert Einstein's metaphysics. The first is about God. The second is about Ethics. A transcript of the program is available. The broadcast was in March this year. Luckily the issues of Speaking of Faith are also delivered as a podcast.

In the first part, program lead Krista Tippett speaks with physicists Freeman Dyson and Paul Davies. I had to open my podcast molded mind to this radio molded podcast. Short interview snippets, music, leaders etc; the program is much more of an assemblage than a singular built up thinking arch. Funny to see how pure podcast invites such different broadcasting style.

The show ends with a quote from Einstein's writings:
I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals or would sit in judgment on creatures of His own creation. I cannot do this in spite of the fact that mechanistic causality has, to a certain extent, been placed in doubt by modern science. My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. Morality is of the highest importance, but for us, not for God.

By the way. I found these two parts thanks to a post in the open culture blog.

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