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From the very beginning when man had begun to use tools, the process
of development began, and from then on he began to look for newer and
better ways of improving tasks. Man wanted things to improve and make
life easier, so he also improved on the things that he made. A simple
example of this is the fact that knives today are available in
different shapes, depending on the nature of work that they are used
for. This is just one example of the innovations that have been carried
out in order to improve human living.
Man has also tried to compete with his fellow humans who were more
advanced than he was. This is what led to learning the ways in which
other people developed themselves technologically. Thus began the
process of sharing knowledge with one another. In more technologically
advanced times people began to realize the value of technology. In view
of this, there have been several renowned figures during the 19th and
20th centuries that have contributed immensely to human development.
One well known name that comes to mind immediately is Albert Einstein.
This is because of his efforts to learn more about the universe and
spread these thoughts to others in order to understand the system
within which they live. Included in this attempt are several theses of
his that contributed to his unified theory that he finally ended up
with. Ina addition to this, he was also a pacifist, who was saddened by
the death and destruction he witnessed during his life. It was because
of this that he worked hard in his final days to prevent mankind from
further self-destruction. Judging by the transformations that Albert
Einstein saw during his life time, it must be asserted that the world
has developed through several stages, and it is indeed in a constant
evolutionary process through which the human race lives. This means
that the changes one has witnessed in the past hundred years are not
the only ones (Hans-Josef, 2004).
From the period of mechanization onwards, there have been several
more changes in society visible. These have mainly been caused due to
the technological development and awareness. There are bound to be more
changes, some of which may be drastic, leaving indelible scars across
the planet. Indeed, this refers to the manner in which man has
progresses, leaving his marks at every point in history. Einstein is
indeed one of these men. Undoubtedly, his theoretical work has been the
fuel behind many of the technological changes, which have triggered
societal changes. However, it must also be said that the development
that he and many other scientists have helped towards changing the
world during the 20th century (Hans-Josef, 2004).
Looking at Einstein’s theories that have changed society
tremendously gives one a more positive view of his work of course, and
it was certainly his intention to explain what was not understood; he
certainly did not have malicious intentions. Indeed, viewing some of
his work reveals the pure genius behind it all (Einstein, 1959.
99-105).
In 1905, Einstein his first thesis, ‘A New Determination of
Molecular Dimensions’; it was this thesis for which he was awarded his
PhD at the University of Zürich. Following this thesis were four more
important papers; it was these collectively that transformed man’s
views of the universe: ‘On the Motion--Required by the Molecular
Kinetic Theory of Heat--of Small Particles Suspended in a Stationary
Liquid’; this was a theoretical explanation of Brownian theory/Brownian
motion in liquids
‘On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and
Transformation of Light’; in this groundbreaking paper, Einstein
explained what light was, overshadowing Newton’s views. He went on to
theorize that light is made up of individual quanta (photons).
These photons, in addition to wavelike behavior, have properties of
particulate matter. This theory meant that Einstein had changed man’s
view of the theory of light, and included other phenomena such as the
emission of electrons from some solids when impacted with light energy.
This is what is called the photoelectric effect. Aside from these
theories that transformed man’s views of the world, there was the
controversial theory of relativity. This important work released under
the title ‘On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies’ had its origins in
other work that influenced
Einstein (Einstein, 1959. 99-105). Particularly, Einstein’s theory
of relativity theorized that for all frames of reference, the speed of
light is constant. If all natural laws are the same, then both time and
motion are found to be relative to the observer.
Straight after the presentation of this work on ‘relativity’
Einstein released one more paper ‘Does the Inertia of a Body Depend
Upon Its Energy Content?’ It is this paper that supports Einstein’s
work on the theory of relativity and provides more evidence for man to
understand what he presented (Einstein, 1959. 99-105). Here, it must be
emphasized that Einstein did not want man to be kept in the dark; he
wanted him to know what he was talking about so that everyone could
understand the universe and not remain in a darkness of traditional
thought and teachings. Indeed, this is what happened to the world since
Einstein’s work was released, which is why Einstein’s formula (E = mc2)
is even known to secondary school children. However, this condition was
reached many years later (Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
At the time when Einstein released his work however, he was
immediately recognized and invited by many universities just to lecture
on his views of the universe and his theories. Much of his time was
spent traveling to different places for the purpose of sharing his
views and carrying out further investigation. It is through explanation
of his work that Einstein was able to make people understand what he
had theorized. His narrations were important for people to grasp what
he tried to tell them (Hans-Josef, 2004).
Building on Newton’s work was also an essential part of his work
because he managed to explain the relations he had to it along with
scientific evidence. This has led to other scientists as well taking
previously researched subjects and working on them. Especially
Einstein’s theory of gravity was groundbreaking and one that people of
his time waited for results of (Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
Einstein studied the behavior of light through an eclipse and was
able to confirm his views. It was practical approaches such as these
that won him a prominent place as a scientist, and caused several
people to follow in his footsteps of seeking physical proof.
Although this trend was set much before his work, it was emphasized
upon in his case, and he succeeded in providing evidence for whatever
he did. Given that information changes society and the way that people
behave, it is no wonder that people in general have significantly
changed in behavior since Einstein’s work became known (Einstein, 1959.
99-105).
Today, people live in an age in which they are aware that the world
is not what it might have initially been described as. Initially,
people may have had the impression that there are several things
present in the universe without any hope of human beings ever being
able to understand them. However, saving people from conservative
understanding were people like Einstein because of the physical
evidence that he supplied (Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
One must also realize the situation within which he was able to
convey his messages about the universe, as this is an important point.
In view of this it must be said that scientists such as Copernicus
suffered tremendously in the days when he discovered that the earth
revolved around the sun; the church persecuted him for this discovery
because it overshadowed their thoughts. In contrast to this, Einstein
may have had it a lot easier because people like Copernicus paved the
way for further understanding
With his passive views of the world, Einstein may be described as a
peaceful thinker who simply wanted to explain the way that things were.
Living through two World Wars also impacted his thoughts significantly,
and had even disrupted his work. It was during the First World War that
he was separated from his family. He however went ahead with his work
but had stopped everything to support Pacifism. He even began
circulating literature against the violence he and many others
experienced, but he eventually went back to his work. When Hitler took
over the German military, Einstein left Germany (Hans-Josef, 2004).
Later, he continued to work on his Unified theory without abandoning
his pacifist approaches. However, this changed significantly when he
was convinced that
Germany were indeed preparing for all out war on Europe. Though many
opposed him and did not think that Germany was capable of controlling
the whole of Europe, he was sure enough. To the surprise of his
pacifist associates, Einstein warned European countries to prepare
themselves militarily for defense against Germany. His warnings were
largely unheeded, but were accurate. In addition to this, he was
informed about success that the Germans had with the atomic research,
and this is why he feared that they would construct a devastating
device enough to kill millions at a time. It was this fear that led
Einstein to warn concerned authorities, which triggered the
establishment of the Manhattan Project. Though Einstein did not set to
work on this himself, people largely believe that he was at the center
of creating the bombs that were dropped on Japan. However, his name was
rightly associated with scientists with whom he worked to prevent
Germany preparing such a bomb. His last years went towards working on a
platform that would prevent countries from preparing such devastating
weapons. Here it must be emphasized that Einstein did not have a clue
that the US had prepared a nuclear fission bomb otherwise he probably
would have worked to prevent them from using it. Hence, largely in the
eyes of the public Einstein is believed to be the one that worked on
the bombs used on Japan and prevented Germany from developing such a
weapon.
In this sense, it must be realized that there sadly is a great deal
about Einstein that is not known; people are generally not aware of the
pacifist side of this man, and are largely aware of his name because of
his scientific works. Even so, he is respected for his work, as it has
provided a great deal for the world to further work on.
In addition to this work, it must be emphasized that even though
people may not be aware of it, Einstein is one of the major figures who
played a prominent role in trying to initiate a set up of a world
government that would oversee and inhibit heinous developments, such as
atomic weapons. Many statesmen did not agree with this, but it can be
said that many did call him a world citizen for his efforts during his
last days (Raner & Lerner, 358:102).
As a result of these efforts, it can be said that Einstein had in
fact played a major role in the formations of what is known as the
United Nations. As many may be unaware of this fact, it is worth
asserting that Einstein was tremendously against violence and he
thought that through the formation of such an organization further
world wars could be delayed prevented. However, he also had his doubts
being realistic as he was, but these doubts did not prevent him from
trying to do the best he could for humanity’s sake.
It is evident thus that he played a tremendous role in the making of
a safer and more organized world through his work towards forming a
body that would prevent catastrophe. A major amount of safety and
security that the world had from the Second World War onwards is owed
to Einstein, a man who could not withdraw himself from his work.
Clearly, it can be observed that through his work from the beginning
of his scientific endeavors was in fact his aim for bettering human
living and understanding. Whatever work he revealed was in sync with
this notion; he wanted people to understand the world, and so, it may
be asserted that he has succeeded to a great extent, although there are
several others that refuse to put their minds to peaceful discovery
(Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
Albert Einstein is indeed remembered for his genius in mathematics,
chemistry and physics. It was because of accurate calculations and
innovativeness that today’s world is well aware of the behavior of
particles, concept of photons, relativity, etc. These things were never
understood before because no one had attempted to explain the world
system in the manner that Einstein did. However, it is also Einstein’s
knowledge of atomic science that has led people to recognize him for
atomic developments in the world (Einstein, 1959. 99-105).
People generally associate his name with the atomic bomb and other
related developments. However, it must be emphasized here again that
was not he that contributed to making the bomb that was dropped on
warring nations during the Second World War; it was he who worked
against nations developing such a monstrous device. However, he was
caught off guard after having worked with scientists against Germany,
as they were developing atomic devices at that time. The reason why
Einstein was working towards disabling German in its mission to develop
an atomic weapon was because of the fact that he knew what catastrophe
could result if such a weapon was created and used. However, after the
Second World War, the use of this form of energy has been transformed.
It is because of this form of energy that the world has changed into a
fast-paced one, with a means of saving on resources. However, it is
also a world that has tremendous capability and power to self-destruct.
Considering the positives of atomic and nuclear energy, it must be
asserted that Einstein was believed to be primarily one of the
individuals responsible for development of this form of energy. It is
true to say that he had a great deal of knowledge about it, but he was
not responsible for the death and destruction that resulted from its
use during the Second World War. The world has learned a lesson since
then, and today it tries to curtail the risks of a nuclear
confrontation. In view of this, it can be seen how Einstein has indeed
contributed to the development of western societies in particular
because of his foresight; people are now more aware of the dangers of
using atomic and nuclear energy as weapons.
In view of countries, having nuclear power, it must also be observed
that there is considerable controversy raging over them; it is supposed
that those countries with nuclear power are also capable of developing
nuclear weapons. This is something that is of great danger to everyone
on the planet (Raner & Lerner, 358:102). It has been observed that
countries with these capabilities may be terrorist states, and for this
reason they are being hunted down and checked for their capability.
Countries such as North Korea in particular are said to be of immense
danger to the planet, particularly because of its anti-American stance,
and it being a Communist nation.
In addition to the threats that exist today because of Einstein’s
genius, it must be emphasized that the devastating bombing incidents in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also the cause of atomic knowledge, which
he was aware of. Millions perished there, generations later many are
born with mutations, and till today nothing grows on that land. The
severity is something that has warned nations of venturing into nuclear
conflict. However, few pay attention, and the world currently is at a
stage where it fears another fierce disaster (Raner & Lerner,
358:102).
In view of what the world has witnessed Einstein was once asked
about what kinds of weapons would be used in World War Three. To this
he answered, “I don't know what weapons World War Three will be fought
with, but World War four will be fought with sticks and stones” (Albert
Einstein Quotes, 2004). It is evident that through his own work and the
way that his work was used, he was aware that nothing but devastation
would result should there be a Third World War, which is why man kind
would not be able to bring itself up to the standards the world is at
presently (Raner & Lerner, 358:102).
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