A tale of two icons: "the Jews all over the world boast of my name, pairing my with Einstein" (Freud, 1926)

Psychoanal Hist. 2005;7(2):205-26. doi: 10.3366/pah.2005.7.2.205.

Abstract

The paper explores the relationship between Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, including the parallels in the trajectories of their scientific careers, starting with the 'annus mirabilis' of 1905. Noting how they shared much in common, the paper underlines that it was as "great Jewish thinkers" that they were most often twinned, and proceeds to compare and contrast the development of their self-consciousness of being Jewish. It then traces their relationship in one meeting and in correspondence, both private and public, from 1926 to their deaths, emphasizing Freud's envy of Einstein and Einstein's ambivalent admiration of Freud. The paper ends with a consideration of the significance of the figure of Moses in both of their final years.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Career Choice
  • Career Mobility*
  • Consciousness*
  • Correspondence as Topic / history
  • Expressed Emotion
  • History, 20th Century
  • Interprofessional Relations*
  • Jews* / education
  • Jews* / ethnology
  • Jews* / history
  • Jews* / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Jews* / psychology
  • Physics / education
  • Physics / history
  • Psychoanalysis / education
  • Psychoanalysis / history
  • Social Identification*