Perspective

As a world-famous scientist, Einstein already had the attention of millions of people. Thus his style in most of these writings is direct, open and at times earnest. Einstein safely assumes that his opinions will be of interest to readers because of his reputation, so he is careful not to sound condescending. His perspective is entirely global, even cosmic, as he approaches contemporary issues. His writings reveal a refreshing, if somewhat napve, optimism and idealism that no doubt reflects his own spirituality, as well as the less complicated world in which he lived. His status as a brilliant physicist sometimes leads him to propose solutions for human dilemmas that are logical, commonsensical, and probably unworkable because of the vagaries of human nature. One example of this would be the privy council that he proposes to help improve relations between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East. Composed of...