In a 1949 article, Albert Einstein described the "predatory phase of human development", exemplified by a chaotic capitalist society, as a source of evil to be overcome. He disapproved of the totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union and elsewhere, and argued in favor of a democraticsocialist system which would combine a planned economy with a deep respect for human rights.
Quotes
"This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career."
"I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion."
"The only justifiable purpose of political institutions is to insure the unhindered development of the individual."
Einsteins great strength was his ability to think through the physical basis of a problem before attempting to cast it into a theory.
Einsteins worries were put aside with only a few scientists trying to cope with the contradictions he saw at the basis of quantum theory.
Einstein saw the inherent contradictions of the capitalist economic model: "The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil".
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