73EINSTEIN, ALBERTEthical egoism is the view that one ought
to act out of self-interest if one fully
understands a situation. Such an ethical
type was popularized in the twentieth
century by Ayn Rand in her essays and
novels. Some philosophers deny that ego-
ism should be recognized as an ethical
theory, as ethics involves impartial, disin-
terested inquiry. A reply to this charge is
that egoism can (at least in principle) be
defended on the grounds of impartial
reflection. In the worn but useful phrase,
“A rose that beautifies itself, beautifies the
whole garden.” One of the most promi-
nent and forceful critics of psychological
and ethical egoism was Bishop Joseph
Butler in the eighteenth century. Also,
Dostoevsky criticized the popular secular
egoism of Western Europe according to
which, if one pursues one’s own best
interests, the best interests of society will
also be pursued (notably his work, Notes
from the Underground, 1864, first English
edition 1918).
EIGHTFOLD PATH. The ideal way of
living according to the Buddhist faith that
leads to enlightenment: right view, right
intention, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness,
and right concentration.
EINSTEIN, ALBERT (1879–1955).
German theoretical physicist, best
known for his theory of relativity and of
mass-energy equivalence (E = mc^2 ). His
theories of general and special relativity
redefined how time and space are viewed
today. The idea that time could be relative
to human beings rather than absolute has
brought up unresolved debates regarding
how God could exist in all time. Einstein
personally agreed with Spinoza, regard-
ing God as harmony and beauty rather
than involved in human affairs. He argued
that science and religion could strengthen
each other rather than conflict. He
claimed that if religion was motivated by
fear it would only clash with science after
bringing up false axioms; however, if reli-
gion was motivated by awe and mystery
it would help one to fully experience
the world. He discusses this concept in
“Science and Religion,” an article pub-
lished in the journal Nature in 1940. He
also summarizes his view in Out of My
Later Years (1950): “Science without reli-
gion is lame, religion without science is
blind.”
In 1921, Einstein received the Nobel
Prize in Physics. His chief works include
A Contemporary Viewpoint on the Pro-
duction and Transformation of Light
(1905), Electrodynamic Bodily Movement
(1905), Toward a Theory of Brownian
Motion (1906), Theory of Light Produc-
tion and Absorption (1906), The Principle
of Relativity and its Deducible Conse-
quences (1907), Sketch of a General
Theory of Relativity and a Theory of Grav-
itation (1913), Groundwork of the General
Theory of Relativity (1916), On the Special