Popular myth has it that Albert Einstein originated the concept of
"space-time". However, not only did Einstein not originate the idea of
"space-time", he vigorously opposed it for quite some space of time. In
fact, space-time theories have been quite common in folk-lore,
philosophy, mathematics, religion, science, science fiction, psychology,
and are even inherent in some languages. Contrary to popular myth,
Einstein did not usher in the atomic age. In fact, he found the idea of
atomic energy to be silly. Einstein was not the first person to state
the mass-energy equivalence, or E = mc2. Myths such as Einstein's
supposed discoveries are not uncommon. Newton did not discover gravity,
nor did he offer a viable explanation for it, nor did he believe that
matter attracted other matter. Consider that few in his time knew that
President Roosevelt was severely handicapped, being limited to a wheel
chair, and the press cooperated in keeping Roosevelt's disability a
secret. Is it difficult to believe that this same press presented Albert
Einstein as a super-hero of science, when he was in fact less than that,
much less? It was a good story for them to sell. Einstein wrote to
Sommerfeld, "It is a bad thing that every utterance of mine is made use
of by journalists as a matter of business." Einstein rarely gave filmed
interviews, but when he did, he came across as something considerably
less than a "genius". Einstein's public appearances were scripted as
were his lectures. His public appearances were most often repetitions of
his lectures. He appeared oblivious to the distinction between an
academic lecture and a media event. He appeared rehearsed and incapable
of adapting to his audience. Einstein appeared to be an actor giving a
performance. The physics community and the media invented a comic book
figure, "Einstein", with "E = mc2" stenciled across his chest. The media
and educational institutions portray this surreal and farcical image as
a benevolent god to watch over us. Some modern portraits depict the man
with a godly glow and all the other visual cues inspiring reverence. For
some, Einstein (often together with Marx and Freud) is seen as a source
of tremendous ethnic pride. To question "Einstein", the god, either
"his" theories, or the priority of the thoughts he repeated, has become
the sin of heresy. "His" writings are synonymous with truth, the
undecipherable truth of a god hung on the wall as a symbol of ultimate
truth, which truth is elusive to mortal man. No one is to understand or
to question the arcana of "Einstein", but must let the shepherd lead his
flock, without objection. Do not bother the believers with the facts!
