In philosophy, Einstein on purpose refers to the collected thoughts and reflections of German-born American physicist Albert Einstein on the topic of purpose.
Einstein-Pascal dialogue
See main: Einstein-Pascal dialogue
In 1950, Einstein engaged into a question and answer style dialogue with a nineteen-year-old American engineering student on the question of "What is the purpose of man on earth?", framed around French physicist-mathematician Blaise Pascal's circa 1642 jotting queries on the same question.
Quotes
The following are related quotes:
“How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one [only] knows from daily life that one exists.”
— Albert Einstein (1930), Essay: “The World as I See It” [1]
“Strange is our situation here on earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose.”
— Albert Einstein (1932), “My Credo” [2]
See also
● Einstein on love
● Einstein-Murphy dialogue
References
1. (a) Einstein, Albert. (1930). “The World as I See It”, Essay, originally published in "Forum and Century," vol. 84, pp. 193-194, the thirteenth in the Forum series, Living Philosophies; In Living Philosophies (pp. 3-7) New York: Simon Schuster, 1931; In A. Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, based on Mein Weltbild, edited by Carl Seelig, New York: Bonzana Books, 1954 (pp. 8-11).
(b) The World as I See It (book) – Wikipedia.
2. Einstein, Albert. (1932). “Quote: divine a purpose”, from "My Credo," [AEA 28-218]; in: The God Delusion (pg. 241) by Richard Dawkins, Mariner Books, 2006.
