Richard Crockatt, “Einstein and Twentieth-Century Politics: A Salutary Moral Influence,” (Oxford UP, 2016)

Richard Crockatt is an Emeritus Professor in the School of American Studies at the University of East Anglia. His book, Einstein & Twentieth-Century Politics: ‘A Salutary Moral Influence‘ (Oxford University Press, 2016), is an intellectual biography of Einstein’s political thought. As one the most compelling figures of the twentieth century, Einstein first gained public attention for his scientific theories placing him on the world stage. Developing a broad network of liberal internationalists he had the opportunity to speak for and support some of the most critical political issues of his day. Crockatt follows him through his early days and his connections with men like Bertrand Russell, H.G. Wells and Albert Schweitzer that shaped his thought as a global public intellectual. From his position of professional influence and personal charm, he worked on behalf of pacifism, Zionism, world government, freedom, and against the arms race. Einstein’s positions emerged from deep moral conviction yet his thought remained complex, non-dogmatic and at times seemingly contradictory. Crockatt has captured the deep moral sensibility and agile political mind of a scientist who exercised “a salutary moral influence.”

Lilian Calles Barger, www.lilianbarger.com, is a cultural, intellectual and gender historian. Her current book project, tentatively entitled The World Come of Age: Religion, Intellectuals and the Challenge of Human Liberation, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.