Ideas and Opinions
By Albert Einstein · 1954
A collection of non-technical writings by Albert Einstein on science, religion, ethics, politics, pacifism and education, drawn from across his career.
Philosophy Sources
A collection of non-technical writings by Albert Einstein on science, religion, ethics, politics, pacifism and education, drawn from across his career.
A personal reflection on education, work, failure, mortality and the importance of following one’s own path.
An exploration of humanity’s relationship with nature, arguing that direct experience of the natural world can reveal spiritual and intellectual truths.
An argument for trusting individual judgement, resisting conformity, and living according to one’s own convictions rather than external approval.
An argument for individual conscience over unjust state authority, examining taxation, slavery, war, resistance, and the moral limits of government.
An essay on optimism as a practical outlook, examining how hope, effort and social progress can coexist with suffering and adversity.
An interdisciplinary examination of death and dying, with Toynbee tracing changing historical attitudes to mortality and their implications for human life.
An exploration of moral balance and consequence, arguing that actions, gains and losses are answered by corresponding effects in life.
An exploration of romantic love as a force that enlarges perception, deepens character, and can develop into a broader spiritual affection.
An examination of friendship as a relationship founded on sincerity, mutual respect, independence, trust, and the recognition of another person’s character.
An examination of practical wisdom, arguing that sound judgement requires attention to material realities, consequences, discipline, health, and everyday conduct.
An exploration of change, intellectual growth and recurring expansion, arguing that each established idea can be surpassed by a wider perspective.
An examination of thought, perception and intuition, arguing that genuine understanding depends on intellectual openness rather than rigid systems or inherited authority.
An account of Transcendentalist thought, emphasising idealism, individual conscience, intuition, spiritual independence, and dissatisfaction with established social conventions.
An exploration of perception, change, grief and uncertainty, examining how temperament and circumstance shape human experience and limit claims to certainty.
An examination of personal and social power, considering energy, ability, circumstance, practical competence, and the conditions that enable effective action.
An examination of self-cultivation, arguing that education, travel, society and varied experience can broaden judgement and correct personal limitations.
An exploration of beauty in nature, people and art, considering how form, proportion, character and perception shape aesthetic experience.
An examination of ageing, considering its physical limitations alongside the experience, judgement, perspective and forms of independence that later life can bring.
Three lectures examining scientific uncertainty, values, religion, politics, and the wider consequences of applying scientific habits of thought.
A collection of Keller’s writings on faith, optimism, adversity, human possibility and the search for meaning in everyday life.
A study of aesthetic and ethical ways of living, examining choice, commitment, love, responsibility, despair, and personal identity.
An alphabetical reference to Ayn Rand’s Objectivist ideas, drawing together her statements on philosophy, economics, psychology, politics, and related subjects.
A posthumous collection of Hemingway’s observations on life, writing, love, death, work, character and the standards by which people live.
A letter of moral and practical advice on virtue, duty, self-discipline, personal conduct, religion, and relations with others.