“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human terperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”
“I think the changes and purifying effects that a vegetarian diet have as a human being’s disposition are quite beneficial to mankind. Therefore, it is both auspicious and peaceful for people to choose vegetarianism”
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution of a vegetarian diet”
I have seen all three of these quotes attributed to Einstein (even though all three are basically the same thing restated). Did he say one or all of these things and was he a vegetarian? I can find no unbiased cites or reliable sources for any of this.
For the record, I am not a vegetarian. I am not planning on becoming a vegetarian. I have nothing against vegetarians. Friends of mine are vegetarians and I do not chide, mock, or attempt to convert them.
Also for the record, this will not change my opinion of Einstein and his scientific accomplishments, just as finding out Hitler was (basically) a vegetarian did not change my opinion of him. I am interested in finding out the truth and knowing if the ads (mentioned in the Pit) are accurate.
There is a long standing notion among vegetarians that Einstein was a vegetarian; certainly, if the picture of him in a leather jacket is genuine, he wouldn’t have been a vegan, which is much further along the continuum with respect to concern for animals. One of his most quoted remarks is:
Nothing can be more beneficial to human health and to increase our chance of survival on Earth than becoming vegetarian.
As a person fairly well trained in scholarly methods (my professors tried, at any rate), I find these ubiquitous quotes without references or documentation, a little disturbing. As a long time vegetarian and animal rights supporter (see Vegetarian Pages), I would like to think he was a vegetarian, but I’ve never read any evidence of this. Evidence, not wishful thinking, is what is required here.
Then again the people at http://zinnia.umfacad.maine.edu/~burwooma/quotes.html seem to know otherwise:
“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human terperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.” - Albert Einstein, letter to Vegetarian Watch-Tower
But that isn’t the widely toted quote, this is:
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution of a vegetarian diet” - Albert Einstein.
It sounds like a paraphrase of the one in the Watch-Tower. This seems to be the most famous one and the one without a source.
I’d think common sense would tell you that if he was a veggie it would be a widely known fact during his lifetime instead of an unknown today, then again Einstein has a quote thats critical of common sense too.
Regardless, from the way its used, people and web pages that list celebrities and their accumulated “wisdom,” its very much suggested that he a veggie and admitting that he’s not is exactly like saying one of our celebrities is a hypocrite.