I Am a Part of Infinity

“I Am a Part of Infinity is a beautifully written exploration of Einstein’s work and his most profound question: What power so deeply connects the human mind with the universe that we can grasp the very laws of nature? This essential work examines the intersections of science, spirituality, and philosophy, offering fresh and meaningful insights into one of history’s greatest thinkers and the ideas that shaped his entire worldview.”

“By digging deep into archival, epistolary, and biographical material, including Einstein’s large personal library, Kieran Fox reveals the paradigmatic scientific genius to be a seeker whose lifelong appreciation of the beauty and mysteriousness of the cosmos made him an ardent believer in a rational universe comprehensible by mathematics. Einstein’s unusual spiritual path ultimately led him to become a practitioner of pacifism and vegetarianism and to identify nature with a cosmic consciousness. Fox traces this triptych back to Einstein’s extensive readings of the idealist Arthur Schopenhauer, the panpsychist Baruch Spinoza, and the Hindu Upanishads. I Am a Part of Infinity is a delight to read at a point in time when the limits of materialism are coming into clear and public view.”

“In this meticulously researched book, Fox shows us a long-ignored and misunderstood side of Einstein: his spiritual conviction that we are entwined with the universe. Fox delves deep to reveal the hidden influences, from Pythagoras to Jainism, that inspired Einstein’s epic quest to create a ‘cosmic religion’ in which mind and matter would be melded into one intricate, all-encompassing whole. I Am a Part of Infinity is gripping, inspiring, original—a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the mind of the great physicist.”

“We have long known that Spinoza was Einstein’s favorite philosopher. With Fox’s wonderfully readable book, we are finally treated to a clear and accessible explanation of why this was so, and how Einstein’s own spirituality was inspired by the ‘heretic’ of Amsterdam.”

“Science and spirituality often seem like contradictory approaches to existence. But Fox shows that, for Einstein, they were in fact complementary and convergent ways to explore reality. In this beautiful elaboration of the deeper levels of Einstein’s scientific mind, Fox discovers the unexpected spiritual side of the most celebrated genius of modern times. Wonderfully written and easy to read, I Am a Part of Infinity is filled with surprises and ‘Wow!’ moments awaiting the reader.”

“Like Isaac Newton’s alchemy or Johannes Kepler’s astrology, most scholars have seen Einstein’s writings on religion as a distraction from his scientific work. Yet Fox makes a bold argument that Einstein’s effort to build a modern spirituality around curiosity and awe inspired his own science and also deserves a wider hearing among scientists today. Deeply researched and revelatory, I Am a Part of Infinity is essential reading for anyone interested in science and religion.”

“A groundbreaking and gripping account of Einstein as a visionary herald of a new scientific and post-religious spirituality for our times.”