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Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

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Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#11

Post by 1010011010 »

The real world is full of emergent properties ... socialism is top-down control. Surely the idea of applying the mind of man to better controlling man is abhorrent.

"It is evident, therefore, that the dependence of the individual upon society is a fact of nature which cannot be abolished—just as in the case of ants and bees"

Sure. But it seems as though Einstein is arguing against a _caricature_ of capitalism, ignoring the free and voluntary cooperation required among its participants for it to succeed. The _cooperation_ inherent in a functioning market economy so often seems to be overlooked.

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#12

Post by taraharris »

"The action required to sustain human life is primarily intellectual: everything man needs has to be discovered by his mind and produced by his effort. Production is the application of reason to the problem of survival.

Since knowledge, thinking, and rational action are properties of the individual, since the choice to exercise his rational faculty or not depends on the individual, man’s survival requires that those who think be free of the interference of those who don’t. Since men are neither omniscient nor infallible, they must be free to agree or disagree, to cooperate or to pursue their own independent course, each according to his own rational judgment. Freedom is the fundamental requirement of man’s mind."

-Ayn Rand

Socialism is fundamentally opposed to this view.

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#13

Post by [deleted] »

Anon84 wrote: post #10
Semiapies wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Physicists can intelligently contribute to economics" Someone should submit a link of an example; this does not do so any more than a blog rant about the "global warming hoax" contributes to climatology.

You mean like the 2000 Nobel prize in Economics? The deficiencies in my college preparatory training were quickly made up, and at age 19, I received a B.S. in Physics with highest honors. I continued my studies in physics as a graduate student at Minnesota, but was strongly attracted to the study of human behavior. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2000/...

[deleted]

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#14

Post by gnosis »

taraharris wrote: post #12

"The action required to sustain human life is primarily intellectual: everything man needs has to be discovered by his mind and produced by his effort. Production is the application of reason to the problem of survival. Since knowledge, thinking, and rational action are properties of the individual, since the choice to exercise his rational faculty or not depends on the individual, man’s survival requires that those…

"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, is The Lord of the Rings."

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#15

Post by Semiapies »

Anon84 wrote: post #10
Semiapies wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Physicists can intelligently contribute to economics" Someone should submit a link of an example; this does not do so any more than a blog rant about the "global warming hoax" contributes to climatology.

You mean like the 2000 Nobel prize in Economics? The deficiencies in my college preparatory training were quickly made up, and at age 19, I received a B.S. in Physics with highest honors. I continued my studies in physics as a graduate student at Minnesota, but was strongly attracted to the study of human behavior. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2000/...

Exactly. That's actual contribution to a field of knowledge, not a political essay.

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#16

Post by Semiapies »

[deleted] wrote: post #7
Semiapies wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Physicists can intelligently contribute to economics" Someone should submit a link of an example; this does not do so any more than a blog rant about the "global warming hoax" contributes to climatology.

[deleted]

You seem to be misreading what I wrote, above. That or you might need to RTFA and compare what Einstein is saying with a discussion of economics.

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#18

Post by taraharris »

gnosis wrote: post #14
taraharris wrote: post #12

"The action required to sustain human life is primarily intellectual: everything man needs has to be discovered by his mind and produced by his effort. Production is the application of reason to the problem of survival. Since knowledge, thinking, and rational action are properties of the individual, since the choice to exercise his rational faculty or not depends on the individual, man’s survival requires that those…

"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, is The Lord of the Rings."

I was 19 when I first read Rand. I'm 29 now, and I still love her philosophy and her novels. I'm willing to be that you haven't read her very closely.

At any rate, your quote is a mere ad-hominem attack, and I don't think that anyone here will mistake it for an actual argument.

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#19

Post by Semiapies »

[deleted] wrote: post #17
julius_geezer wrote: post #2

Next up: J.M. Keynes on quantum electrodynamics.

[deleted]

Well, as it's not an economic argument, I'd agree.

However, his political argument in that essay should not be given special credence because he was one of history's greatest physicists.

Re: Albert Einstein: Why Socialism?

#20

Post by [deleted] »

Semiapies wrote: post #5
nlabs wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bad retort. The prerequisites to understanding economics is hardly close to that needed to understand QED. Besides, economists have physics envy. Physicists can intelligently contribute to economics.

"Physicists can intelligently contribute to economics" Someone should submit a link of an example; this does not do so any more than a blog rant about the "global warming hoax" contributes to climatology.

[deleted]
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