Second Year English Notes Sindh Board THE WORLD AS I SEE IT

THE WORLD AS I SEE IT

(Albert Einstein)

SUMMARY

Our situation on this earth seems strange. Every one of us appears here involuntarily and uninvited for a short stay, without knowing the whys and the wherefore In our daily lives we only feel that man is here for the sake of others, for those whom we love and for many other beings whose fate is connected with our own. I am often worried at the thought that my life is based to such a large extent on the work of my fellow human beings and I am aware of my great indebtedness to them.

I do not believe in freedom of the will. Schopenhauer’s words: “Man can do what he wants, but he cannot what he wills” accompany me in all situations throughout my life and reconcile me with the actions of others even if they are rather painful to me. This awareness of the lack of freedom of will preserves me from taking too seriously myself and my fellow men as acting and deciding individuals and from losing my temper.

I never coveted affluence and luxury and even despise them a good deal.

My passion for social justice has often brought me into conflict with people, as did my aversion to any obligation and dependence I do not regard as absolutely necessary. I always have a high regard for the individual and have an insuperable distaste for violence and clubmanship.

All these motives made me into a passionate pacifist and anti-militarist. I am against any nationalism, even in the guise of mere patriotism. Privileges based on position and property have always seemed to me unjust and pernicious, as did any exaggerated personality cult.

I am an adherent of the ideal of democracy, although I well know the weaknesses of the democratic form of government. Social equality and economic protection of the individual appeared to me always as the important communal aims of the state.

Although I am a typical loner in daily life, my consciousness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has preserved me from feeling isolated.

The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as well as all serious endeavor in art and science. He who never had this experience seems to me, if not dead, then at least blind. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp and whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness.

In this sense I am religious. To me, it suffices to wonder at these secrets and to attempt humbly to grasp with my mind a mere image of the lofty structure of all that there is.

This article is a speech by Albert Einstein to the German League of Human Rights, Berlin, in the autumn of 1932.

Quotations by Albert Einstein:

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the
former.

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

Q/A

 

Q1. What leads Einstein to feel a strong sense of duty towards his fellowmen?

Ans. Einstein’s belief that we exist for our fellowmen leads him to feel a strong sense of duty towards them.

In his essay ‘The World as I See It’ Einstein divides his fellow human beings into two groups: his immediate family, and humanity at large. He asserts that his inner and outer life depends on their labor, regardless of the fact whether they are alive or dead. Thus he thinks that he must also exploit all his potential to contribute to human happiness in return. 

Q.2 What is Einstein’s attitude towards property, outward success, and luxury?

Ans. In his essay ‘The World as I See It’ Einstein considers that property, outward success, and luxury are the ordinary objects of human Endeavour. According to Einstein, these objects are contemptible because the ideas behind them are nothing but love for ease and self-centered happiness. He severely criticizes all those people who direct their energies to property, outward success and luxury, and condemns these people as “a herd of swine”. Alternatively, he approves of those ideals which helped him unleash his potential, that is, Truth, Good, and Beauty.

Q.3 What is Einstein’s attitude to war? What forces does he blame for the persistence of war?
Ans. Einstein hates war and holds human race in high esteem. In his essay ‘The World as I See It’ Einstein describes war as mean, contemptible and abominable “business” because there are always commercial and political interests behind it. He believes that the sound sense of nations is corrupted by promoting these interests through the schools and the Press. Einstein despises war so much that he would prefer to be cut into pieces than take part in the war.

Q.4 What does Einstein appear to regard as the most precious element in human experience?

Ans. In his essay ‘The World as I See It’ Einstein says that the most precious element in human experience is the mysterious. He believes that true art and true science, as well as religion, are the expressions of this fundamental emotion. He describes the mysterious as the existence of something whose manifestations have the most profound reason and the most radiant beauty, but cannot be penetrated. They are only accessible to our understanding in their most elementary forms. It is no less than a religion to Einstein to try and comprehend even a tiny portion of the cosmic design, whether it is the eternity of life or the marvelous structure of reality. 

Q5: What are the “insecure foundations” referred to at the end of the last sentence of the fourth paragraph?

Ans. insecure foundation at the end of the last sentence of the fourth paragraph Einstein means that we should not be limited and self-centered that we only love to our own country, home, and the country people. We should love to all human beings and should have social justice and social responsibilities.

Q6: What in, brief, is Einstein’s attitude to leadership?

Ans. Einstein believes in democracy and teaches to respects every individual. He is of the view that the people should be free to choose their representative. They should not be bound to follow the leader who is thrust upon them.

Q7: On what grounds does Einstein put the individual before the state?

Ans. Einstein puts the individuals before the state before the state because it is individuals the personality that creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and feeling.

Q8:   What example does he give of service by the state to the individual?

Ans. Einstein praises the state where political systems give the sufficient weight and importance to the humans, provide them security looking after in need and provide them relief in case of illness and need.

Q9:   What does he appear to regard as the most precious element in human experience?

Ans. Albert Einstein regards mystery as the most precious element in human experience. Mystery is the foundation of true art and science. It is the mystery that motivates a person to think and discover the universe. He also explains that it is the experience of mystery that engenders religion.

Q10: What is his belief concerning the immortality of the soul?

Ans. Einstein is basically an atheist. He denies the concept of punishment and reward of human beings by their God, after their death so he does not believe in the immortality of soul or life after death.