This post is part of a series called Published and Perished: Lessons from Lives of the Mind. The series comments on the present through the experiences of professors past. The next post in the series will feature Robert Koch, the relatively unknown scientist who discovered the bacteriological basis of tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax.
I recently wrote about Albert Einstein's experience on the academic job market for The Chronicle of Higher Education's Vitae. The piece was based upon my (summer fun) reading of Walter Isaacson's 2008 biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe. It struck me that I only captured a small part of Herr Professor's fascinating journey in academe. In tracing Einstein's initial struggles, alt-ac adventures, and eventual triumph in securing a professorship, some might accuse me of painting an overly rosy portrayal of a trying period for anyone, let alone one of history's most complex personalities. I offer this addendum to the article in the hopes of providing a more nuanced narrative arc.
Once again, Einstein's personal story connects to contemporary issues among academics, including competition, divorce, anxiety, striving for prestige, and frequent relocations. Einstein was remarkable for his childlike wonder at the cosmos and ability to devise stunning mental experiments, but he was rather unremarkable in constantly paying high personal costs in exchange for his unique version of a life of the mind.
I ended my article with Einstein's first official academic appointment as a junior professor at the University of Zurich. Given Einstein's quickly ascending reputation in the scientific community, it did not take long for opportunity to knock. After just six months, he was offered a full professorship at the German section of the University of Prague. Foreshadowing a string of similar decisions, Einstein accepted the promotion and uprooted his wife and two sons from the city they loved. Although the University of Prague was eager to poach Einstein, his Jewishness again posed a problem that initially looked to derail the entire move. The ministry preferred another candidate--one who wasn't Jewish. However, upon learning that he was the second choice, the preferred candidate excused himself from consideration. What is interesting is that, at the time, Einstein did not readily identify as Jewish and struggled to acknowledge membership in any faith community. His appointment was only finalized after he begrudgingly accepted a law in the Austro-Hungarian Empire that he enter a religion on his official documentation. Einstein's choice? He wrote: "Mosaic." (Einstein embraced his Jewish identity, becoming a prominent Zionist. However, he never actively practiced Judaism.)
Einstein's career was gaining momentum, but his home life was unraveling. He met his wife, Mileva Maric, while they were both students at the Polytechnic in Zurich, and they bonded over a love of science. There has been lively debate about the role Maric played in Einstein's early breakthroughs, suggesting, if nothing else, that she was a capable intellectual in her own right. Maric had dreams of becoming a professor, but she was not able to pass the requisite exams to continue her studies. Being a female scientist at the time also defied gender norms, and she likely endured a range of structural obstacles to fulfill her aspirations. Maric became mother to three of Einstein's children and surrendered her scientific aspirations. While Einstein spent hours poring over mathematical equations and losing himself in thought, Maric raised Einstein's sons with little support and experienced severe depression. Resentment festered between the two, and Maric was vocally unhappy about the move to Prague. Einstein was unequivocal about retreating into his work during times of personal crisis. So it was that he spent increasingly long periods of time away from home. In a bid to rescue his marriage, Einstein left Prague and moved the family back to Zurich. Around this time, he had also struck up a flirtatious correspondence with his first cousin, Elsa.
Before long, Einstein was lured to another university in Berlin. It would be his fourth academic appointment before the age of 35. The decision to relocate the family once again was sweetened by the job offer, which allowed Einstein to research with no teaching or service obligations. (In the parlance of university administration, Einstein would have been an "all-star appointment" and, therefore, above the quotidian duties of a professor. This was also before widespread obsession with faculty productivity.) As I previously noted, Einstein was not a strong lecturer. His celebrity status often meant that his lectures were initially well attended, and students sometimes warmed to his quirks and anecdotes. Nevertheless, "compelling speaker" and "dedicated teacher" could not reasonably be listed on his curriculum vitae. The move to Berlin also had personal motivations: it would bring Einstein closer to his romantic interest, Elsa. He was probably aware that moving to Berlin would also mean the end of his marriage. Living in Berlin brought the family closer to Einstein's mother, who was never pleased with her son's choice in Maric. On the eve of the Great War, Einstein and Maric separated. Their painful divorce was finalized around the cessation of conflict in 1918.
Amidst this familial strife, Einstein became completely engrossed in a competition to generalize his theory of relativity. A gifted mathematician appeared to be approximating an equation for general relativity, sparking a creative burst within Einstein. The resulting four papers laid the conceptual and mathematical basis for the theory of general relativity, although whether Einstein truly beat his competitor to the equation is still subject to debate. In the process of racing to stake his ground, Einstein suffered anxiety, slept very little, and often forgot to eat. His deep concentration allowed him to complete masterful scholarship, but his emotional health was compromised. On more than one occasion, Einstein had to put off visiting his sons in order to recoup from the strenuous pursuit of discovery. While he was an undisputed genius, Einstein regularly prioritized work over family.
A complete examination of Einstein as an academic uncovers a few useful lessons and multiple harsh realities. In my article, I highlight the way that Einstein, in his early years, found an intellectual oasis outside of academe and frequently mocked the academic enterprise. Yet he was not immune to the academy's enticements, namely prestige, and proved unable to reconcile tensions between his personal and professional commitments.
I'm drawn to Einstein's story not because I believe he is representative of academics. More than anything, I simply found his experience intriguing. I share almost nothing in common with Einstein, and yet there is something familiar about his meandering path through academe. There is something universal about his trials and triumphs, which is surprising because we so often think of him as one-of-a-kind.
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