Einstein & Freud on War: Still Kicking Today

Why do we fight? What lights up wars for ages? Even when peace just makes sense? Big questions. Between two super-smart guys. Decades ago, this made what history now calls the Einstein Freud Letters War. This whole thing, a truly hella significant intellectual event for anyone wanting to get how people tick. It still hits home. Kinda unsettling, even now.

Why We Wanna Fight: Deep Down Stuff & How Society Messes With It

So, 1931. A group, the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. It was made to get smart people talking globally. They hit up Einstein. They wanted him to grab another brainiac, dig into war and peace. Big deal after World War I just wrecked everything. Einstein picked Sigmund Freud, no wait. He really looked up to him from their ’27 meet-up.

Right from their first letters, sparked by Einstein straight-up asking, “Why War?”, everyone could see: both guys agreed. Humans have this built-in urge to fight. Einstein was a pacifist, too. Not just doing a favor. Because he genuinely wanted answers on why folks get so violent. He figured deep down, people kinda lean into hate and destroying stuff.

Usually, this urge just chills out. But when things go sideways—politics, money troubles, religion messes—that old deep hate becomes a super easy tool for leaders to use. And people just let it rip.

Freud’s Take: Society Tries to Keep Our Wild Side Down

Freud, being Freud, talked psychoanalysis, naturally. He said we’re born with a “death drive,” Thanatos. Basic instinct. Destructive and violent. No class taught this. It’s just us.

This raw drive battles society’s rules, all the time. Society tries to keep our wild instincts chilled. For order, you know. But our minds? They wanna bust out of those chains. This inner fight is, Freud said, just a core human problem.

Yeah, Freud got that political or money stuff could kick off fights. But the real reason? That built-in death drive, he swore, exploding as war. Strong stuff. Gets people dying for reasons, flags. But then, opposite this drive? Eros. The life instinct. A force that brings folks together. This constant tug-of-war, these two basic drives, molds how we think. And when civilization can’t keep those destructive instincts down? Bam. War.

Einstein’s Idea: Point That Energy Somewhere Good (Like Hobbies, Learning!)

Einstein totally agreed with Freud on that core destructive thing. But big difference on the fix. And another thing: he didn’t think we could just get rid of this basic instinct. ‘Cause creativity, even progress, also comes from that same deep spot.

Instead, Einstein was like, “Hey. Let’s send these destructive urges somewhere else.” Into positive, building things. Picture taking all that deep energy, but pushing it into something awesome. Something to build up, not tear down. He really thought we could change. If society just cared more about making cool stuff, getting smarter, and finding answers.

People into learning and finding new stuff? He figured they’d just naturally avoid the nasty violence.

Big Ideas That Start Fights: Like Being Super National or Religious

Both Einstein and Freud kinda honed in on these big “ideas” that light up conflicts. Einstein, he worried a ton about nationalism. To him, it was this super potent, risky thing to kick off wars. Really dangerous. He dreamed of everyone being a “world citizen.” Not just loyal to one country.

Freud, on the other hand, spent a big chunk of his argument on organized religion. He saw how believing certain stuff could make people feel better than others, like they deserved more. Easy to get ’em fired up for a fight. Those “I deserve it!” feelings? Super handy for anyone wanting to start or big-up a war.

Making Peace Happen: Thinking Critically, Being Kind, Working Together

Einstein, always more positive than Freud, had huge faith. In education, you know. Not just memorizing facts, either. He really pushed for schooling that would grow critical thinking and empathy. Big time. That, he claimed, would teach people. To respect others’ ideas. And talk things out, not fight.

Freud, though? Total realist. Bit of a cynic, maybe. He found Einstein’s happy talk about just ditching national or cultural identity pretty tough to swallow. “Easier said than done,” he essentially stated. Like pulling a nail from flesh. International cooperation? Super important. And yet, still ridiculously hard. Because people cling to who they are. Naturally.

So, Freud’s big hope for fighting those destructive urges? Knowing yourself. And feeling for others. His thought: only owning our own screw-ups and limits lets us really get where others are coming from. Because this deep understanding is the path to respecting diverse beliefs.

The good stuff from the Einstein Freud Letters War? Still gives us a serious but really key way to figure out the world. Their dialogue reminds us: no magic wand. But then, getting smarter, loving to learn, and really talking things through? Best shot we got to change those destructive impulses. Those original German letters? Luckily in English now. Totally worth a read if you find some time. Wild exchange, huh?

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Einstein-Freud chat about war happen?

The first invite to Einstein was in 1931. The main letters went back and forth in 1932 and came up in 1933. But their full content wasn’t widely available until the 1960s with the “Einstein’s Views on Peace” book coming out.

Why did Albert Einstein ask Sigmund Freud about war, anyway?

Einstein was really worried about how much humans seemed to want war, especially after World War I. He was a pacifist. He wanted Freud’s mind-science perspective on how to free people from the evil of conflict, ’cause he respected Freud’s passion for truth.

What was a big difference in their ideas to stop war?

Freud figured the death drive (that destructive instinct) was almost impossible to get rid of. Just a fundamental part of being human. Einstein, though he agreed with the destructive problem, suggested we could totally redirect these impulses. Into creative, smart, and useful stuff. That way, we lessen conflict instead of trying to erase the instinct itself.