From the very beginning when man had begun to
use tools, the process of development began, and
from then on he began to look for newer and better
ways of improving tasks. Man wanted things to
improve and make life easier, so he also improved
on the things that he made. A simple example of
this is the fact that knives today are available
in different shapes, depending on the nature of
work that they are used for. This is just one
example of the innovations that have been carried
out in order to improve human living.
Man has also tried to compete with his fellow
humans who were more advanced than he was. This
is what led to learning the ways in which other
people developed themselves technologically. Thus
began the process of sharing knowledge with one
another. In more technologically advanced times
people began to realize the value of technology.
In view of this, there have been several renowned
figures during the 19th and 20th centuries that
have contributed immensely to human development.
One well known name that comes to mind immediately
is Albert Einstein. This is because of his efforts
to learn more about the universe and spread these
thoughts to others in order to understand the
system within which they live. Included in this
attempt are several theses of his that contributed
to his unified theory that he finally ended up
with. Ina addition to this, he was also a pacifist,
who was saddened by the death and destruction
he witnessed during his life. It was because of
this that he worked hard in his final days to
prevent mankind from further self-destruction.
Judging by the transformations that Albert Einstein
saw during his life time, it must be asserted
that the world has developed through several stages,
and it is indeed in a constant evolutionary process
through which the human race lives. This means
that the changes one has witnessed in the past
hundred years are not the only ones (Hans-Josef,
2004).
From the period of mechanization onwards, there
have been several more changes in society visible.
These have mainly been caused due to the technological
development and awareness. There are bound to
be more changes, some of which may be drastic,
leaving indelible scars across the planet.
Indeed, this refers to the manner in which man
has progresses, leaving his marks at every point
in history. Einstein is indeed one of these men.
Undoubtedly, his theoretical work has been the
fuel behind many of the technological changes,
which have triggered societal changes. However,
it must also be said that the development that
he and many other scientists have helped towards
changing the world during the 20th century (Hans-Josef,
2004).
Looking at Einstein’s theories that have
changed society tremendously gives one a more
positive view of his work of course, and it was
certainly his intention to explain what was not
understood; he certainly did not have malicious
intentions. Indeed, viewing some of his work reveals
the pure genius behind it all (Einstein, 1959.
99-105).
In 1905, Einstein his first thesis, ‘A
New Determination of Molecular Dimensions’;
it was this thesis for which he was awarded his
PhD at the University of Zürich. Following
this thesis were four more important papers; it
was these collectively that transformed man’s
views of the universe:
‘On the Motion--Required by the Molecular
Kinetic Theory of Heat--of Small Particles Suspended
in a Stationary Liquid’; this was a theoretical
explanation of Brownian theory/Brownian motion
in liquids
‘On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the
Production and Transformation of Light’;
in this groundbreaking paper, Einstein explained
what light was, overshadowing Newton’s views.
He went on to theorize that light is made up of
individual quanta (photons).
These photons, in addition to wavelike behavior,
have properties of particulate matter. This theory
meant that Einstein had changed man’s view
of the theory of light, and included other phenomena
such as the emission of electrons from some solids
when impacted with light energy. This is what
is called the photoelectric effect.
Aside from these theories that transformed man’s
views of the world, there was the controversial
theory of relativity. This important work released
under the title ‘On the Electrodynamics
of Moving Bodies’ had its origins in other
work that influenced
Einstein (Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
Particularly, Einstein’s theory of relativity
theorized that for all frames of reference, the
speed of light is constant. If all natural laws
are the same, then both time and motion are found
to be relative to the observer.
Straight after the presentation of this work on
‘relativity’ Einstein released one
more paper ‘Does the Inertia of a Body Depend
Upon Its Energy Content?’ It is this paper
that supports Einstein’s work on the theory
of relativity and provides more evidence for man
to understand what he presented (Einstein, 1959.
99-105).
Here, it must be emphasized that Einstein did
not want man to be kept in the dark; he wanted
him to know what he was talking about so that
everyone could understand the universe and not
remain in a darkness of traditional thought and
teachings. Indeed, this is what happened to the
world since Einstein’s work was released,
which is why Einstein’s formula (E = mc2)
is even known to secondary school children. However,
this condition was reached many years later (Einstein,
1959. 99-105).
At the time when Einstein released his work however,
he was immediately recognized and invited by many
universities just to lecture on his views of the
universe and his theories. Much of his time was
spent traveling to different places for the purpose
of sharing his views and carrying out further
investigation. It is through explanation of his
work that Einstein was able to make people understand
what he had theorized. His narrations were important
for people to grasp what he tried to tell them
(Hans-Josef, 2004).
Building on Newton’s work was also an essential
part of his work because he managed to explain
the relations he had to it along with scientific
evidence. This has led to other scientists as
well taking previously researched subjects and
working on them. Especially Einstein’s theory
of gravity was groundbreaking and one that people
of his time waited for results of (Einstein, 1959.
99-105).
Einstein studied the behavior of light through
an eclipse and was able to confirm his views.
It was practical approaches such as these that
won him a prominent place as a scientist, and
caused several people to follow in his footsteps
of seeking physical proof.
Although this trend was set much before his work,
it was emphasized upon in his case, and he succeeded
in providing evidence for whatever he did. Given
that information changes society and the way that
people behave, it is no wonder that people in
general have significantly changed in behavior
since Einstein’s work became known (Einstein,
1959. 99-105).
Today, people live in an age in which they are
aware that the world is not what it might have
initially been described as. Initially, people
may have had the impression that there are several
things present in the universe without any hope
of human beings ever being able to understand
them. However, saving people from conservative
understanding were people like Einstein because
of the physical evidence that he supplied (Einstein,
1959. 99-105).
One must also realize the situation within which
he was able to convey his messages about the universe,
as this is an important point. In view of this
it must be said that scientists such as Copernicus
suffered tremendously in the days when he discovered
that the earth revolved around the sun; the church
persecuted him for this discovery because it overshadowed
their thoughts. In contrast to this, Einstein
may have had it a lot easier because people like
Copernicus paved the way for further understanding
With his passive views of the world, Einstein
may be described as a peaceful thinker who simply
wanted to explain the way that things were. Living
through two World Wars also impacted his thoughts
significantly, and had even disrupted his work.
It was during the First World War that he was
separated from his family. He however went ahead
with his work but had stopped everything to support
Pacifism. He even began circulating literature
against the violence he and many others experienced,
but he eventually went back to his work. When
Hitler took over the German military, Einstein
left Germany (Hans-Josef, 2004).
Later, he continued to work on his Unified theory
without abandoning his pacifist approaches. However,
this changed significantly when he was convinced
that
Germany were indeed preparing for all out war
on Europe.
Though many opposed him and did not think that
Germany was capable of controlling the whole of
Europe, he was sure enough. To the surprise of
his pacifist associates, Einstein warned European
countries to prepare themselves militarily for
defense against Germany. His warnings were largely
unheeded, but were accurate.
In addition to this, he was informed about success
that the Germans had with the atomic research,
and this is why he feared that they would construct
a devastating device enough to kill millions at
a time. It was this fear that led Einstein to
warn concerned authorities, which triggered the
establishment of the Manhattan Project.
Though Einstein did not set to work on this himself,
people largely believe that he was at the center
of creating the bombs that were dropped on Japan.
However, his name was rightly associated with
scientists with whom he worked to prevent Germany
preparing such a bomb. His last years went towards
working on a platform that would prevent countries
from preparing such devastating weapons. Here
it must be emphasized that Einstein did not have
a clue that the US had prepared a nuclear fission
bomb otherwise he probably would have worked to
prevent them from using it. Hence, largely in
the eyes of the public Einstein is believed to
be the one that worked on the bombs used on Japan
and prevented Germany from developing such a weapon.
In this sense, it must be realized that there
sadly is a great deal about Einstein that is not
known; people are generally not aware of the pacifist
side of this man, and are largely aware of his
name because of his scientific works. Even so,
he is respected for his work, as it has provided
a great deal for the world to further work on.
In addition to this work, it must be emphasized
that even though people may not be aware of it,
Einstein is one of the major figures who played
a prominent role in trying to initiate a set up
of a world government that would oversee and inhibit
heinous developments, such as atomic weapons.
Many statesmen did not agree with this, but it
can be said that many did call him a world citizen
for his efforts during his last days (Raner &
Lerner, 358:102).
As a result of these efforts, it can be said
that Einstein had in fact played a major role
in the formations of what is known as the United
Nations. As many may be unaware of this fact,
it is worth asserting that Einstein was tremendously
against violence and he thought that through the
formation of such an organization further world
wars could be delayed prevented. However, he also
had his doubts being realistic as he was, but
these doubts did not prevent him from trying to
do the best he could for humanity’s sake.
It is evident thus that he played a tremendous
role in the making of a safer and more organized
world through his work towards forming a body
that would prevent catastrophe. A major amount
of safety and security that the world had from
the Second World War onwards is owed to Einstein,
a man who could not withdraw himself from his
work.
Clearly, it can be observed that through his
work from the beginning of his scientific endeavors
was in fact his aim for bettering human living
and understanding. Whatever work he revealed was
in sync with this notion; he wanted people to
understand the world, and so, it may be asserted
that he has succeeded to a great extent, although
there are several others that refuse to put their
minds to peaceful discovery (Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
Albert Einstein is indeed remembered for his
genius in mathematics, chemistry and physics.
It was because of accurate calculations and innovativeness
that today’s world is well aware of the
behavior of particles, concept of photons, relativity,
etc. These things were never understood before
because no one had attempted to explain the world
system in the manner that Einstein did. However,
it is also Einstein’s knowledge of atomic
science that has led people to recognize him for
atomic developments in the world (Einstein, 1959.
99-105).
People generally associate his name with the
atomic bomb and other related developments. However,
it must be emphasized here again that was not
he that contributed to making the bomb that was
dropped on warring nations during the Second World
War; it was he who worked against nations developing
such a monstrous device. However, he was caught
off guard after having worked with scientists
against Germany, as they were developing atomic
devices at that time.
The reason why Einstein was working towards disabling
German in its mission to develop an atomic weapon
was because of the fact that he knew what catastrophe
could result if such a weapon was created and
used. However, after the Second World War, the
use of this form of energy has been transformed.
It is because of this form of energy that the
world has changed into a fast-paced one, with
a means of saving on resources. However, it is
also a world that has tremendous capability and
power to self-destruct.
Considering the positives of atomic and nuclear
energy, it must be asserted that Einstein was
believed to be primarily one of the individuals
responsible for development of this form of energy.
It is true to say that he had a great deal of
knowledge about it, but he was not responsible
for the death and destruction that resulted from
its use during the Second World War.
The world has learned a lesson since then, and
today it tries to curtail the risks of a nuclear
confrontation. In view of this, it can be seen
how Einstein has indeed contributed to the development
of western societies in particular because of
his foresight; people are now more aware of the
dangers of using atomic and nuclear energy as
weapons.
In view of countries, having nuclear power, it
must also be observed that there is considerable
controversy raging over them; it is supposed that
those countries with nuclear power are also capable
of developing nuclear weapons. This is something
that is of great danger to everyone on the planet
(Raner & Lerner, 358:102).
It has been observed that countries with these
capabilities may be terrorist states, and for
this reason they are being hunted down and checked
for their capability. Countries such as North
Korea in particular are said to be of immense
danger to the planet, particularly because of
its anti-American stance, and it being a Communist
nation.
In addition to the threats that exist today because
of Einstein’s genius, it must be emphasized
that the devastating bombing incidents in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were also the cause of atomic knowledge,
which he was aware of. Millions perished there,
generations later many are born with mutations,
and till today nothing grows on that land. The
severity is something that has warned nations
of venturing into nuclear conflict. However, few
pay attention, and the world currently is at a
stage where it fears another fierce disaster (Raner
& Lerner, 358:102).
In view of what the world has witnessed Einstein
was once asked about what kinds of weapons would
be used in World War Three. To this he answered,
“I don't know what weapons World War Three
will be fought with, but World War four will be
fought with sticks and stones” (Albert Einstein
Quotes, 2004). It is evident that through his
own work and the way that his work was used, he
was aware that nothing but devastation would result
should there be a Third World War, which is why
man kind would not be able to bring itself up
to the standards the world is at presently (Raner
& Lerner, 358:102).
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