As most people know, Einstein was not only a great scientist but also a deep thinker about a number of topics, from pacifism to Zionism. He also thought and wrote extensively on what we today might call his religious viewpoint.
However, unlike the rather black and white milieu of the last ten years, where clearly divided sides seem to dominate the debate, Einstein had a more nuanced outlook. Dr. Gary Bowman, a physicist at Northern Arizona University, has investigated these views on mysticism, culminating in his paper “Einstein and Mysticism”, published in volume 49 of the journal Zygon.
Listen in as he and I discuss Einstein’s influences, his own ideas and how they fit in with our own ideas about science and religion.