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> Even Albert Einstein, one of the most emblematic examples of genius, wrote in 1952: “It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely.” Really s
by happy-go-lucky 7y ago
> Even Albert Einstein, one of the most emblematic examples of genius, wrote in 1952: “It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely.”
Really so strange. I'm just trying to see how lonely he must have felt having to keep to himself.
- cryptonector 7y agoFeynman didn't have that problem, so it's not universal, but it does seem like most geniuses are afflicted with loneliness.
- donecarejustsav 7y agoI don't agree with that given his lifestyle. He wanted to connect but rarely could, hence an abundance of mostly shallow affection beyond his first wife.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- HNLurker2 7y agoHere is a morbid thought, the loneliest thing is that we didn't get to hear his last words.
- akvadrako 7y agoI suspect the sibling reply is correct, that it’s more about celebrity than genius. But I also don’t think Feynman was a genius the way Einstein was. AFAIK, his math skills didn’t stand out and his main contributions seemed to be about making physics more accessible and teaching.
- drjesusphd 7y agoIm not sure about his genius compared to Einstein, but Hus contributions to physics are much more than popularization (which I think came much later in his career). He played a leading role in developing the most successful scientific theory in history: quantum electrodynamics.
- akvadrako 7y agoI didn't just mean popularization, but I know him best for Feynman diagrams and the path integral formulation. Basically making existing concepts easier to understand.
- cryptonector 7y agoEinstein was not very good with math. He stood on the shoulders of Pointcaré, Lorentz, and Riemman. He saw more, he saw farther, he was brilliant, but I'm not sure he'd have done what he did without those shoulders to stand on. OTOH, once he had Special Relativity in the bag and saw an outline of General Relativity, he had the persistence to see it through. Feynman had it easier in this sense: more shoulders to stand on, less radical theories to develop, and was less alone in terms of peers. IMO Feynman and Einstein are comparable.
- jimhefferon 7y ago> his math skills didn’t stand out I don't believe that is right. From WP: When Feynman was 15, he taught himself trigonometry, advanced algebra, infinite series, analytic geometry, and both differential and integral calculus. Before entering college, he was experimenting with and deriving mathematical topics such as the half-derivative using his own notation. He created special symbols for logarithm, sine, cosine and tangent functions so they did not look like three variables multiplied together, and for the derivative, to remove the temptation of canceling out the d's. A member of the Arista Honor Society, in his last year in high school he won the New York University Math Championship.
- jayd16 7y agoThis could be more a statement of celebrity than genius.
- mapcars 7y agoThe feeling of loneliness (as well as all others) comes from inside, not outside. If you are not experiencing yourself as a part of the universe but something separated - no amount of people and talking around will help.
- watwut 7y agoTho, Einsteins feeling of loneliness might have to do with things that have nothing to do with being genius - like the way his marriage went down. Some of it had zero to do with being genius and more to do with other stuff. Having to emigrate also makes one more lonely. You would need to compare other people in similar situation to see whether he is unusually lonely.