【新書推薦】健康相對論：誰是阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦？| 9、12讀後感

健康相對論是什麼意思

- Who Was/Is 系列 -

No。12

書名：Who Was Albert Einstein？

作者：Jess Brallier

Goodreads：4。22 / 5。00

Who Was Albert Einstein?

誰是阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦？

翻譯：Catrina Chiang

Chapter 6

第六章

War...Again

戰爭......又來了

“

Unless the cause of peace based on law gathers behind it the force and zeal of a religion， it hardly can hope to succeed。

—Albert Einstein

以法律為基礎的和平事業，除非背後凝聚著一股宗教的力量和熱情，否則它很難有成功的希望。

——阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦

”

Albert‘s fame brought him thousands of letters from people all over the world。 Not just scientists， either-kids， newspaper reporters， political leaders， college students-they all wrote to him。 Many of the letters came from Jewish people right in Germany。 They were kept out of schools， denied jobs， and not allowed to vote。 Albert was Jewish。 Couldn’t he do anything？

隨著阿爾伯特名聲大振，成千上萬來自世界各地的信件也紛沓而至。不只有科學家，還有小孩、新聞記者、政治領導人、大學生都給他寫信。還有許多信件來自德國的猶太人。他們不能上學，不能工作，還不允許投票。阿爾伯特是猶太人，他能否做點什麼？

For a long time Albert wanted to help create a homeland for Jewish people。 The current Jewish nation of Israel did not exist in the early 1900s。 The land where Israel is now was called Palestine。 Like many other Jews， Albert thought that this area was where a Jewish homeland belonged。 In 1921， Albert traveled with other important Jewish people to the United States。 He wanted to raise money for a Jewish homeland in Palestine。

很長一段時期以來，阿爾伯特想要幫助猶太人們建立一個家園。20世紀初，現在的以色列猶太國家還不存在，以色列現在所在的土地被稱為巴勒斯坦。和其他許多猶太人一樣，阿爾伯特認為，這片地區是猶太人的家園歸屬。1921年，阿爾伯特同其他一些重要的猶太人前往美國，他想要籌集資金，在巴勒斯坦建立一個猶太人家園。

Albert enjoyed the long boat trip from Europe to America。 He looked out at the endless ocean and felt “dissolved and immersed in nature。” It reminded Albert how tiny one man was compared to the greatness of nature。 He was not so important as the world as was making him out to be。 That thought， he said， “makes me happy。”

阿爾伯特十分享受從歐洲到美洲的長途郵輪旅行。他眺望著無邊無際的海洋，感覺自己“融化、沉浸在大自然中了”。這讓阿爾伯特意識到，與大自然的偉大相比，人是多麼的渺小。他並沒有外界所認為的那麼重要。他說，“這樣的想法讓我很開心。”

via Reddit

So Albert was quite surprised to see thousands of people， including reporters and photographers， waiting at the pier when his ship arrived in New York City。 Wherever he went， there were huge crowds eager to see the genius who unlocked secrets of the universe。 The mayor of New York personally welcomed him and presented Albert with a key to the city。 There was a parade in his honor。 When Albert visited Washington， D。C。， President Warren Harding invited him to the White House。

因此，當阿爾伯特乘坐郵輪抵達紐約市，他看到成千上萬的人——包括記者和攝影師在碼頭迎接時，他驚訝萬分。無論他走到哪，總有一大群人急切地想看看這位解開宇宙之謎的天才。紐約市長親自來迎接他，並贈送了他一把城市之鑰。為了向他表示敬意，還舉辦了一場遊行。阿爾伯特到訪華盛頓特區時，沃倫·哈定總統邀請他去白宮。

愛因斯坦與時任美國總統沃倫·哈定（中） via Fine Art America

Albert‘s “eccentric genius look” was a big hit with Americans。 With his wild hair， messy clothes， and friendly personality， Albert charmed reporters。 He was often asked， “Could you briefly explain your theory of relativity？” This question drove Albert nuts。 After all， it had taken him fifteen years of intense thinking to develop the theory。 But he’d take a deep breath， smile， and say， “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour， it seems like a minute。 But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute—and it‘s longer than any hour。 That’s relativity。”

阿爾伯特“古怪的天才模樣”，在美國人中大受歡迎。阿爾伯特憑藉一頭亂蓬蓬的頭髮、凌亂不整的衣衫，以及隨和的性格，征服了許多記者。他經常被問到：“您能簡要解釋一下您的相對論嗎？”。這個問題惹得阿爾伯特有點抓狂，畢竟他歷經了十五年不斷深思，才得出了這個理論。但是，他只深吸一口氣，微笑地回答說，“讓一個男人和一個漂亮女孩坐在一起一個小時，他感覺似乎只有一分鐘。但如果讓他在一個火爐上坐一分鐘，那可比任何時候都漫長的多。這就是相對論。”

愛因斯坦與妻子艾爾莎（Elsa Einstein） via eStory

Although Albert was a superstar in the United States， he was an unwanted problem in Germany。 Although he still had his teaching job in Berlin， it became harder for Albert to stay in Germany with each passing year。 After the Nazis took control of Germany in the 1930s， Albert‘s life was increasingly in danger。 Nazis hated Jews， intellectuals， and pacifists。 Albert was all three。 When Nazis emptied university libraries of their books and burned them， it was often Albert’s books that topped the huge bonfires。

儘管阿爾伯特在美國是超級巨星，但他在德國卻是一個不受歡迎的異類。雖然他在柏林還有一份教書的工作，但隨著時間的推移，他在德國越來越待不下去了。20世紀30年代，納粹黨統治德國之後，阿爾伯特的生命也愈發受到威脅。納粹黨討厭猶太人、知識分子和和平主義者。而阿爾伯特集三者於一身。每當納粹黨清空大學圖書館，並將藏書燒燬時，阿爾伯特的著作，往往放在火堆的最上面。

By 1930， Albert had done most of his best scientific thinking。 His focus now was on politics and public speaking。 This made the Nazis even angrier。 For his safety， Elsa pleaded with Albert to stop speaking out against the Nazis。 He refused。 He said， “I wouldn‘t be Einstein if I kept quiet。” He also refused to leave Germany， even though more and more friends and family begged him to。

到1930年，阿爾伯特已經完成了大部分最厲害的科學思索。他現在的重點是政治和公眾演講，這使得納粹黨更加惱怒。為了他的安全，艾爾莎（譯者注：愛因斯坦的第二任妻子）懇求阿爾伯特不要再公開反對納粹黨；但是他拒絕了，說道，“如果我保持沉默，就不是愛因斯坦。”他也拒絕離開德國，即使越來越多的朋友家人都懇求他離開。

via NBC News

The Einsteins did， however， take many trips to more welcoming countries。 They traveled to the Middle East， to Asia， and to the west coast of the United States。 Everywhere they went， they were greeted by large， cheering crowds。 Japan even declared the day of Albert’s arrival there a national holiday。 In Spain， he was greeted by the king and thousands of fans。

然而，愛因斯坦一家確實去了很多更歡迎他們的國家旅行。他們去了中東、亞洲以及美國西海岸。他們所到之處，都受到大批群眾的歡迎和歡呼。日本甚至宣佈，將阿爾伯特抵達日本的那一天，設為國家法定假日。在西班牙，國王和成千上萬的粉絲迎接了阿爾伯特。

Albert received honorary from Oxford， Cambridge， the Sorbonne， Harvard， and many other universities around the world。 He was a guest professor， raised funds for Jewish causes， and warned of the growing political hatred in Germany。 How strange for Albert to be adored all over the world except in the country where he had been born。 The Nazis published a book called “One Hundred Authors Against Einstein。” All Albert said was， “Why one hundred？ If I were wrong， one would have been enough。”

阿爾伯特獲得了牛津大學、劍橋大學、索邦神學院（譯者注：巴黎大學前身）、哈佛大學，以及世界各地許多大學的榮譽頭銜。他擔任一名客座教授，為猶太事業籌集資金，並且對德國日益增長的政治仇恨發出警告。阿爾伯特在世界各地都受到敬仰崇拜，除了自己所出生的國家之外，這是多麼令人奇怪。納粹黨出版了一本書，叫做 “《一百個反對愛因斯坦的作家》。”阿爾伯特只說了一句話：“為什麼是100個？如果是我錯了，一個人反對就足夠了。”

學生們集體cos愛因斯坦 via China Daily

Albert was very lucky to have survived in Nazis Germany。 In 1931， while Albert was a guest professor in California， Adolf Hitler declared Albert a spy。 Hitler put out a death warrant for Albert。 In 1933， while Albert and Elsa were returning home from their trip to California， Nazis broke into the Einsteins‘ summer house in Caputh， Germany。 A bread knife was found in the kitchen—a perfectly natural place for a bread knife to be。 But the Nazis used the knife as “proof” of what a dangerous man Albert was。 The Nazis seized everything Albert owned—his home and his money。

阿爾伯特能在德國納粹黨手中倖存下來。1931年，當時阿爾伯特在加利福尼亞州的擔任客座教授，阿道夫·希特勒宣稱阿爾伯特是一名間諜。希特勒對阿爾伯特發出了死刑令。1933年，在阿爾伯特和艾爾莎從加利福尼亞州回家的途中，納粹破門闖入愛因斯坦一家在德國卡普思的避暑居所。他們在廚房找到了一把麵包刀——一個放置麵包刀的再自然不過的地方。但是納粹卻這把刀作為阿爾伯特是一個危險人物的“證明”。納粹沒收了阿爾伯特擁有的一切東西——他的房子和金錢。

via Business Insider

Now there was no question about moving。 Albert and Elsa rented a house in Belgium where Albert’s stepdaughters also came to live。 But in Belgium， a new book from Germany was now available。 It included photographs of Nazis enemies。 Albert‘s photo was on the very first page with the words “not yet hanged” printed next to it。

現在，搬家是毫無疑問的了。阿爾伯特和艾爾莎在比利時租了一間房子，他的繼女們也搬來和他們同住。但是在比利時，一本來自德國的新書上市了，書裡面有納粹死敵的照片。阿爾伯特的照片就在第一頁，旁邊還印著“尚未絞死”的文字。

Belgium was not a safe place to stay either。 But where would the Einsteins go？ England？ No。 Elsa was afraid to live there。 In England， the Nazis had offered a huge reward for Albert’s murder。 Albert joked， “I never knew that I was worth so much。” In the end， Albert and Elsa decided that the United States would be their new home。

比利時也不是一個安全的地方了。但愛因斯坦一家還能去哪裡呢？英國？不行，艾爾莎害怕住在那裡，因為納粹在英國重金懸賞要謀殺阿爾伯特。阿爾伯特開玩笑說道，“我從來不知道自己這麼值錢。”最後，阿爾伯特和艾爾莎決定了，將他們的新家安在美國。

Albert became a professor of mathematics at the Institute for Advance Study in Princeton， New Jersey。 （Albert asked for a salary of $3，000。 Elsa got that upped to $16，000。） By the end of 1933， he and Elsa had settled into the small college town。

阿爾伯特成為了新澤西州普林斯頓高等研究院的一名數學教授。（阿爾伯特最初要求的薪水是3000美金，而艾爾莎把它提高到了16，000美金。）到1933年年底，他和艾爾莎就在這個小小的大學小鎮定居了。

via Time Magazine

The early years in Princeton were very difficult。 Albert was 54 years old。 He was not a young man。 He was no longer startling the world with new ideas。 Then， just three years after their move to Princeton， Elsa passed away。 Albert was lonely and heartbroken。 His own health suffered。 He had barely left Elsa‘s side for the last twelve months of her life。 Albert also kept hearing about friends who had been murdered in Germany。

阿爾伯特在普林斯頓的前幾年過得非常困難，因為他已經54歲了，不再是年輕人了。他不再能提出驚世駭俗的新想法了。後來，在他們移居普林斯頓三年之後，艾爾莎去世了。阿爾伯特感到孤獨寂寥、傷心欲絕。他自己的健康也受到了影響。在艾爾莎生命的最後十二個月裡，阿爾伯特幾乎沒有離開過她的身旁。他也不斷聽到一些朋友在德國遇害的訊息。

With all of the energy that he had left， he was determined to do whatever he could to stop the Nazis。 He played the violin at fund-raising concerts。 But that was not going to put an end to Hitler。

他決心傾盡餘力，竭盡所能阻止納粹暴行。他在各種籌集資金的音樂會上演奏小提琴，但是這並不能終止希特勒的所做作為。

via Orange County Register

“

We scientists， must consider it our solemn duty to do all in our power in preventing these weapons form being used。

—Albert Einstein

我們這些科學家們，必須把竭盡全力防止核武器得到使用，視為我們莊嚴的使命。

——阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦

”

Albert’s famous equation， E=mc， said that if just a few atoms were converted to energy， the amount of energy produced would be massive。 In 1939， Albert learned that European scientists were at work trying to make an atomic bomb。 Albert feared what the Germans would do if they were the first to build such a bomb。 So Albert wrote a letter to the President of the United States， Franklin D。 Roosevelt。 He asked that the United States begin developing an atomic bomb right away。

阿爾伯特的著名等式——E=mc表示，如果僅將幾個原子轉換成能量， 產生能量也會大得驚人。1939年，阿爾伯特得知歐洲科學家們正在試圖研製原子彈，他擔心，要是德國人最先製造出來這樣的炸彈，他們會做什麼。於是阿爾伯特寫了一封信給美國總統富蘭克林·德拉諾·羅斯福，建議美國馬上開始研發原子彈。

This could not have been an easy letter for a man like Albert to write。 He hated war。 He hated weapons。 Yet now he was asking the United States to hurry up and build the most destructive bomb ever imagined。 Even the simplest atomic bomb could destroy an entire city and kill thousands of people within seconds。 But Albert thought that it would be worse if the Nazis were the only ones with such a weapon。 Partly because of Albert‘s letter， President Roosevelt had secret work begun on building an atomic bomb。

寫這樣一封信，對阿爾伯特來說不是一件容易的事。他厭惡戰爭，憎惡武器。然而，現在他卻建議美國抓緊製造史上最具破壞力的炸彈。即使是一枚最簡單的原子彈，都可以在幾秒內毀滅一整座城市，讓成千上萬的人死亡。可是阿爾伯特認為，如果納粹是唯一擁有這個武器的人，情況將會更加糟糕。大致因為阿爾伯特的來信，總統羅斯福開始推進秘密製造原子彈的工作。

via Washington Jewish Week

Albert later reflected on this moment in world history。 “I made one great mistake in my life—when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made。。。 but there was some justification—the danger that the Germans would make them。”

後來，阿爾伯特反思了世界歷史上的這一刻，“我這一生中犯了一個大錯，那就是我寫信給羅斯福總統，建議他製造原子彈。但這還是有些理由的，理由就是德國人制造出原子彈的危險。”

After World War II， Albert spent time and energy trying to limit the development of atomic weapons。 “I do not know how the third world war will be fought，” he warned， “but I do know how the fourth will： with sticks and stones。” What he meant was that after a third world war with atomic bombs， the modern world would be destroyed and humans would have to go back to living like cavemen。 “We scientists，” Albert said， “must consider it our solemn duty to do all in our power in preventing these weapons form being used。”

第二次世界大戰後，阿爾伯特把時間和精力投入到努力限制核武器的發展上。他警告世人，“我不知道第三次世界大戰會用什麼戰鬥，但我知道第四次世界大戰將會用什麼戰鬥，那就是棍子和石頭。”他的意思是，第三次世界大戰使用原子彈之後，現代世界將會被摧毀，人類將回到過去，像穴居人一樣生活。“我們這些科學家們，”阿爾伯特說道，“必須把竭盡全力防止這些武器得到使用，視為我們莊嚴的使命。”

via Business Insider

Even today some people blame Einstein for the atom bomb because he discovered the relationship between mass and energy。 But can anybody blame Isaac Newton—who first explained the laws of gravity—for every plane that crashes to the ground？

即使在今天，仍有人把原子彈歸咎於愛因斯坦，因為是他發現了質量與能量之間的關係。但是有人會指責艾薩克·牛頓——解釋萬有引力定律的第一人——讓他為每一架墜落地面的飛機負責嗎？

In 1940， at age 61， Albert became a citizen of the United States。 For the rest of his life he remained in Princeton， New Jersey， and worked on something called “The Unified Field Theory。” But， surprisingly， Albert never produced a finished theory。

1940年，阿爾伯特在61歲成為了美國公民。他在新澤西州普林斯頓度過了餘生，研究一個叫做“統一場論”的東西。但令人驚訝的是，阿爾伯特再也沒有提出過一個完整的理論。

1931年，愛因斯坦與助手在加州理工學院 via einstein。caltech。edu

In many ways， Albert’s life had come full circle。 Toward the end of his life he wrote： “I am generally regarded as a sort of petrified object， rendered deaf and blind by the years。” He loved to take walks， just as he always had。 And although Albert never drove a car， he loved to sail。 He would take out a one-engine boat， aim it at other boats， and then—at the last moment—swerve aside。

在很多方面，阿爾伯特的人生是完滿的。在生命的最後一刻，他寫道，“我通常被認為是一件石化的物體，多年來變得又聾又瞎。”他一如既往地喜歡散步。雖然他從未開過車，但他喜歡航海。他會駕駛一艘單引擎船，對準其他船開過去，然後再在最後一刻轉向一邊。

In Princeton， he was a familiar sight， walking back and forth between his home and office， often chatting with neighbors。 （He spoke English with an accent。 “I tink I will a little study。” “She is a very good theory。”） His shaggy hair， now white， grew even wilder and he often went without socks， belt， or suspenders。 Once some boys asked Albert why he never wore socks。 With a sly smile he answered that he was now old enough that if he didn‘t want to， he didn’t have to。

在普林斯頓，阿爾伯特是張熟面孔，他經常在家和辦公室之間來回走動，和鄰居們閒聊。（他說著帶有口音的英語。“我想我會稍微研究一下。”“她是一個很好的理論”）他那亂蓬蓬的頭髮，如今已經花白了，變得更加彭亂了。他還時常不穿襪子、不繫皮帶或吊褲帶就出門。有一次，幾個男孩問阿爾伯特為什麼不穿襪子。他咧嘴一笑，回答說，他現在已經老了，如果他不想做，那就沒必要做。

On his walks， Albert was known to stop and help a child fix a bicycle。 And when a young girl came to his house asking for help with her math homework， Albert not only did just that， but shared his lunch of a can of baked beans with her。

據說在散步時，阿爾伯特停下來幫一個小孩修腳踏車。而當一個小女孩到他家裡，請他幫忙做數學作業時，阿爾伯特不僅答應了，還和她一起分享了午餐——一罐烤豆子。

via Medium

As for his own children， Albert rarely saw his sons。 Hans Albert had fled Nazi Germany and later moved to California； Eudard and Mileva remained safe in Switzerland where Mileva died in 1948。

至於他自己的孩子，阿爾伯特基本沒見過自己的兒子。漢斯·阿爾伯特逃離了納粹德國，後來移居到了加利福尼亞州；愛德華和米列娃安全地留在瑞士；1948年，米列娃在那裡去世。

Albert‘s sister and best friend， Maja， came to live with him in Princeton。 As a child， Albert had a horrible temper that once led him to hit Maja in the head。 In these later years， she’d smile and say， “To be the sister of a thinker， you must have a very thick skull。”

阿爾伯特的妹妹，也是他最好的朋友瑪雅，來到普林斯頓和他一起生活。阿爾伯特小時候脾氣不好，有一次打了瑪雅的頭。在後來的這些年裡，瑪雅笑著說，“要成為思想者的妹妹，就必須要有一個厚腦殼。”

Life in Princeton was pleasant。 In the evenings， just as Albert and his mother used to play duets， he played violin with other musicians。 He ended up spending the last twenty years of his life at his house at 112 Mercer Street in Princeton。 He loved the old house， its gardens， and the way the light came through the windows。 When they first moved to Mercer Street， Elsa had a picture window put in Albert‘s study。 From there， Albert could enjoy the beauty and mystery of nature as he always had， watching birds fly， flowers bloom， and the morning sunrise。

在普倫斯頓的生活是十分愉快的。晚上的時候，像從前他和母親一起彈奏二重曲一樣，他和其他的音樂家們一起拉小提琴。最終，他在普林斯頓默瑟爾街112號的家中，度過了生命的最後20年。他喜歡這棟老房子，自帶的花園，還有陽光透過窗戶的模樣。他們剛搬到默瑟爾街時，艾爾莎讓人在阿爾伯特的書房安了一扇落地窗。從這往窗外看，艾爾伯特可以和從前一樣，欣賞大自然的美麗和神秘，看小鳥飛翔、鮮花盛開，還有旭日初昇。

1935-1955年，愛因斯坦居住此地——普林斯頓默瑟爾街112號 via asergeev。com

TIPS

The Atomic Bomb

原子彈

In World War II， Japan joined forces with Germany and Italy。 So now there were two fronts， or areas of battle—Europe and the islands in the Pacific Ocean。 In late 1941， the United States joined the countries （England， France） in the fight against Germany and Japan。 American troops were sent to both battlefronts。

在第二次世界大戰中，日本與德國和義大利聯手。因此就有了兩條戰線，或者說戰場——歐洲戰場和太平洋戰場。1941年年末，美國加入其他國家（英國，法國）一起對抗德國和日本，美國軍隊被同時派往兩大戰場前線。

At 8：15 a。m。 on August 6， 1945， an American military plane released an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima。 In an instant， 80，000 people were killed。 Hiroshima simply ceased to exist。 People at the blast’s center were vaporized。 All that remained was their charred shadows on the walls of buildings。

1945年8月6日上午8點15分，一架美國軍用飛機在日本廣島上空，投擲了一顆原子彈。一剎那間，80，000人死亡，廣島不復存在。處於爆炸中心的人們消失不見，只剩下他們在建築物牆上燒焦的影子。

今年是廣島長崎原子彈爆炸75週年 via In Depth News

Three days later， the U。S。 dropped another bomb on another Japanese city， Nagasaki。

三天後，美國向日本另一座城市——長崎，投擲了另一顆原子彈。

Japan soon surrendered， and World War II finally came to an end。

不久後，日本投降，第二次世界大戰終於結束了。

via Kiddle Encyclopedia

The world now had weapons that were destructive beyond imagination。 Decades of scientific thought and research， including Einstein‘s， made the atomic bomb a possibility。 War made it a reality。 The world was never the same again。

現在，世界上所存在的武器，有著無法想象的破壞力。包括愛因斯坦在內的數十年的科學思考和研究，讓原子彈成為可能；而戰爭使其成為了現實。這個世界，再也不會跟從前一樣了。

Who Was / Is 世界名人系列插畫本，每本約一百多頁；內容淺顯易懂、風趣幽默，配有人物相關事物的小百科；適合隨身閱讀。英語語言難度：小學高年級及初中生。

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