Einstein

Albert Einstein.

Throughout history, the term ‘genius’ has been applied to thousands of influential people. Rarely, however, does it seem so apt as in the case of Albert Einstein. From his early years in Ulm, Germany – where he began talking at a late age – to the signs of his precocious aptitude in Physics and Maths at school,[1] he looked destined to change the world. His intellectual curiosity and the ferocity with which he attacked scientific conundrums set the standard for future generations of aspiring innovators.

Einstein achieved fame during his ‘miracle year’ of 1905. It was then that he first explored his theory of relativity, as well as several other concepts (light quantum and Brownian motion, to name but two) which were to become staples in the study of physics.[2] Over the course of one remarkable, trail-blazing year of insight, Einstein published four papers while at the Swiss patent office. He argued that light was a particle rather than a wave, proved that atoms were real, that the speed of light was constant, whilst time and space were relative, and provided his famous equation of E=MC², which equated mass and energy.[3]

It was not just in science that Einstein had a lasting impact; his findings reverberated throughout society, causing humans to stop and question the nature of their own existence. It expanded all of our minds and led us to think in big terms and confront the very mechanics of the cosmos. There can be no doubt that his findings and attitude towards life sparked a great leap forward in human history and this is why his work has been deemed of sufficient importance to be included in the Magic Formula of 6. His work centred on pragmatism and the notion of striving to determine what is achievable. This highly practical outlook inspired the first question of the formula: ‘What is physically possible?’

Freedom of thought forms a central pillar of Einstein’s legacy. Einstein was an outspoken advocate of ‘individual liberty and dignity’, drawing parallels between the pursuit of scientific truth and personal fulfilment.[4] Nowadays, he as an often-use example of the power of individuality. He showed how approaching problems in unique ways can fundamentally change the way in which they are perceived forever. He was outspoken on social and cultural issues, too; he made his name at a time of great upheaval in his native Germany as well as in the wider world. He frequently decried war and petty nationalism,[5] and by doing so was able to link his question of what is physically possible in the theoretical sphere to everyday life.

The Magic Formula of 6 hopes to do the same and point out all that humanity can achieve. Einstein’s question constitutes a key part of The Magic Formula of 6. It was derived from his momentous discoveries and the spirit of curiosity that birthed them, and requires us to look past conventional wisdom to see the bigger picture of the universe, to question what can be achieved and what problems simply cannot ever be solved.

Such was the power of his mind that Einstein was able to come up with answers to the questions that had been giving scientists headaches for thousands of years. As a failed academic and low-level civil servant, the odds were stacked against him, which meant his theory of relativity was not fully accepted until an experiment during the solar eclipse of 1919.[6] But when it was, the world was never the same again.

To his credit, Einstein always explained his theories with logic and applied their implications to reality. The Magic Formula of 6 requires us to do the same, by combining our lofty ideas with this same instinct of seeking to have them realised in the physical world. The formula incorporates these principles into every argument and looks to reconcile any ideas we have about what is physically possible with their reality. His practical, scientifically rooted approach to existential problems forms the first part of the Magic Formula of 6.

 [1]                Jessica Orwig & Amanda Macias (2015). The Amazing Life of Albert Einstein, an Underestimated Genius whose Childhood Nickname was ‘The Dopey One’. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/albert-einstein-biography?r=US&IR=T

[2]                Jeroen Van Dongen (2015). Review: Albert Einstein and the History and Philosophy of Science. Isis, 106(3), 684-689, p. 684.

[3]                TED-Ed (2015). Einstein’s Miracle Year – Larry Lagerstrom. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XI7M9l3no

[4]          Gerald Holton (1984). Introduction: Einstein and the Shaping of our Imagination. In Gerald James Holton & Yehuda Elkana (eds).  Albert Einstein: Historical and Cultural Perspectives. (pp. vii-xxxii). Mineola, USA: Dover Publications, p. vii.

[5]                UNESCO (2019). Why War? A Letter from Albert Einstein to Sigmund Freud. UNESCO Courier. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/courier/may-1985/why-war-letter-albert-einstein-sigmund-freud

[6]                Robin Mckie (2019, 12 May). 100 Years On: The Pictures that Changed our View of the Universe. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/12/100-years-on-eclipse-1919-picture-that-changed-universe-arthur-eddington-einstein-theory-gravity

…

…

…

…