It's really good, but where are its wheels?

Read Walter Isaacson's biography of Albert Einstein.

To tell you the truth, this is the most laborious book I've read so far, and I'm seeing a little bit of it at the moment. The reason why I say this is not to complain, nor is it to brew an excuse for withdrawal, I am just saying a fact.

So I deliberately extended the time I had planned to read the book, trying to slow down a little, so that I could see clearly what the author wanted to express.

In fact, it is much easier to understand a book than to understand a person.

Next is the reading of "Einstein's biography", share it.

P s: The following dark green font is the original text, and the reading notes are displayed in normal font.

I dedicate this book to my father the kindest man of character, the quickest thinking, and the most good conduct I know.

A short dedication, a lot of information. At the very least, this sentence caused me to reflect deeply—I was a father who did not have the slightest pride in his children compared to the author's father. I'm ashamed.

Albert Einstein, an imaginative explorer, believed in the harmony inherent in nature. His fascinating experience clearly proves that creativity and freedom are inextricably linked, and can also reflect the triumphs and hustle and bustle of the times.

People who receive the title of genius share one of the traits in common, extraordinary imagination. This is also included in da Vinci's code of creativity, allowing for fantasies.

Whether it was 30 years as an innovator or then as a resister, Einstein was an independent-minded man from beginning to end.

People with independent thoughts will continue to tap their potential, discover themselves, and then deny themselves, and then discover and deny... In this cycle, let yourself become more and more inclined to absolute excellence and freedom. It can be said that people with extraordinary imagination have more freedom than those who lack imagination and cannot calculate quantities.

Innovation and resistance must be based on freedom.

Of course, it is undeniable that those who have freedom do not necessarily have independent thoughts, and those who have independent thoughts can have true freedom.

In his later years, Einstein was asked by the New York State Department of Education what schools should pay attention to. He replied: "In teaching history, more should be said of those who have contributed to mankind by virtue of the independence of character and judgment. ”

This is an easy passage to overlook. When we have a general concept of history from the history textbooks that are half-understood or even full of errors, in fact, we do not have a clear and accurate understanding of the historical truth. Cleaning up the past and whitewashing the present is a consistent practice of rulers.

Without independent thought, without curiosity and thoughtfulness, it is difficult for one to understand what Einstein was saying to the Department of Education.

In order to punish me for my disrespect for authority, fate made me an authority myself.

What is true domineering? What is Real Versailles? What is crushing and disdain? ...... Einstein's words, along with the background and subtext of them, are!

He was born into a family that was open-minded and valued education, which was his luck.

Because of open-mindedness, there is an act of attaching importance to education.

People who are not enlightened often think that what they know is the whole world, and what they think is the truth of universal value. This is by no means arrogant, just simply ignorant and shallow.

Unfortunately, such talents are the majority of the crowd. A child born into an open-minded family is a great fortune.

When Albert first met his sister, he thought it was a beautiful toy given to him. He looked at her and shouted, "That's nice, but where are its wheels?" ”

I like Walter Isaacson's expression too much, which can be described as "clear water out of the hibiscus natural to carve". The simple and funny text conveys Einstein's childlike fun, as well as his maverick observation and thinking ability.

I believe that love is a better teacher than a sense of responsibility, at least for me.

I believe it too. Meeting a loving teacher is as lucky as being born into an open-minded family.

Having read popular science books, I quickly became convinced that there are many stories in the Bible that cannot be true. The result is a truly fanatical idea of freedom, intertwined with the impression that the state deliberately deceives young people with lies. This impression has decisive consequences.

This is what Einstein said, even in this era of pretending to put "positive energy" on the lips, his words will not usher in accusations, let alone blockade. Change someone else you try!

The fact that a man can march in line with a military band in a commensurate manner is enough to make me despise him. The reason why he grew a brain was only out of misunderstanding.

The insights of the young Einstein are enough to shock the deaf! This sentence, expressed in plain language, means that these people's heads are all broken by the door.

Einstein believed in Spinoza's nameless God, reflected in the awesome beauty, rationality, and unity of the laws of nature. Like Spinoza, Einstein did not believe in a personal God who would intervene in our daily lives.

The concept of "God" in this passage can be compared with the concept of "Tao" proposed by Lao Tzu in ancient China, which is "inexplicable" and "extraordinary", but it does exist. "Awe-inspiring beauty, rationality and the unity of the laws of nature" are its embodiment. Einstein did not believe in the existence of a "personality God," and no one with a modicum of independent thought would believe it.

Insisting on his own opinion allows him to set aside the common view and gain insight into the hidden cracks in the foundations of physics. His figurative thinking allowed him to make conceptual leaps that most traditional thinkers were unable to take.

Thought is also a double-edged sword. When ideas become more and more solidified and rigid, people who have such ideas will set up their own barriers and become stubborn and old-fashioned. On the contrary, thinkers like Einstein, who will never stick to the rules, will allow the saplings of thought to thrive, so that they grow into towering trees, shade and the whole field of humanity.

Two elements essential to such thinking are extraordinary curiosity and imagination.

"A new idea suddenly appeared, and to a considerable extent it was intuitively learned." Albert Einstein once said this, but he added: "But intuition only comes from the earlier thought process." ”

Einstein's words made me re-understand or more deeply understand what the phrase "quantitative change to qualitative change" is really expressing. The intuition of a fool or fool will never have anything to do with great ideas and innovations. It also reminds me of the great writers, without exception, who are well-read and diligent in thinking and recording.

Is it fair to say that what Einstein called "intuition" and what some great writers call "inspiration" have very similar connotations to some extent?

Powerful and profound thoughts can be expressed in concise language.

What is the subtext of the science writer Overby's words? Only with a powerful thought can this idea be summarized concisely and precisely, and only concise and precise concepts can be expressed through concise language. Thinking ahead, only the expression of concise language follows, not the other way around.

Einstein felt that loyalty to a party meant giving up some independence of thought, and this obedience puzzled him.

Einstein's concerns have long been established facts, and if you don't believe it, you will see the lackeys and slaves in sight, all loyal to a certain party.

In Einstein's view, the whole frenzy was unattainable. "She was an unpretentious person and talented." He also less appropriately concluded that Marie Curie's looks were not enough to break up other people's marriages: "Despite her natural enthusiasm, her charm was not enough to pose a threat to others." ”

Einstein was also a poisonous tongue, and judging from his remarks about Marie Curie's "short and long behind the scenes", Einstein lacked the minimum respect for women.

It has nothing to do with his IQ and achievements, it seems to me to be his personality flaw.

January 12, 2022