Tagore and Albert Einstein: The Meeting of the Spirit of the East With the Mind of the West

The Indian philosopher Tagore was a great human who rose to the rank of a saint, and some people even gave him a divine tint and counted him as a demigod. Tagore met one of the most brilliant minds and thinkers in Europe and the world, “Albert Einstein”, and there was a dialogue between them about many life concepts. That dialogue was not an ordinary dialogue between the East and the West, rather critics and observers counted it as a very important stage in the development of human consciousness and civilization.

Therefore, in this wonderful article, we will present the most important points that were mentioned in this meeting, which can be described as a historical and unique meeting in a simplified and concise way, so that these points can be understood by everyone.

Can a real meeting between East and West happen?

It has always been said that the East and the West never meet. The East has always drowned in spirituality, kindness, simplicity, emotions, wisdom, and other values that have always characterized ancient times. However,  the modern era, the era of speed, technology, money, business, economic, and diplomatic relations, has appeared and brought new and completely different values, such as efficiency, accuracy in work, having the ability to achieve oneself, the end justifies the means, and other values that did not give ethics the most important place, rather, morals have become a relative matter with the progress of human thought and consciousness. What is considered ethical in a particular society may be immoral in another, and what you consider beneficial to you may be harmful to others. Hence, the intellectual horizons of modern human have expanded in parallel and in conjunction with technical, industrial, and economic developments.

What is the fundamental difference between East and West?

While the West ran with the current of technology and nurtured it and put all its financial and human energies into research, science, laboratories, and experiments, and built successes brick by brick, the East remained somewhat closed in on itself and slow in progress, and could not keep up with the West in the areas of technical, educational, and industrial development. According to what many researchers say, the reason for that is due to the closure of oriental thought in front of new ideas, spreading a culture of fear of them by demonizing and placing many accusations against them, and insisting on adhering to the customs and culture of the ancestors in an emotional way that is somewhat far from logic, and in a way that does not take into account the quantity and quality of differences, as well as the changes that occurred in people's lives compared to the lives of their ancestors.

Can we measure the East according to the standards of the West?

On the other hand, some researchers believe that every nation has a uniqueness, culture, mentality, and way of life that must be respected and not interfered with. Also,  they refuse to count the West as a criterion for civilization and progress, and their argument in this is that technical development is not the only criterion in life, as there are spiritual and social relations that are strong in the East and somewhat weak in Western countries, in which the elderly spend their lives alone, whether at home or in a nursing home. In contrast, these cases are very rare in the East, which enjoys a social life with a lot of cohesion, affection, and social solidarity, and it is very rare to see an elderly person living alone. On the contrary, you see sons and daughters who do not leave their families, whether in times of illness or even in normal times.

How did Tagore view the unity of existence?

Before entering into the details of the dialogue, we must take a brief overview of the most important ideas of these two men. Tagore had a clear Sufi tendency, which was manifested in his outward appearance as it was in his conversations and his view of the universe, consciousness, and existence. He believed in the unity of existence; That is, human, animals, and plants are all an integrated unit that cannot be divided, and inanimate objects are also considered part of the unity of existence, and all the elements of this universe are an embodiment of the Spirit of God.

What are the types of truths from Tagore's point of view?

Tagore believed that there was only one great truth in existence, and this truth does not mean that human should stop recognizing scientific facts that he considered partial but necessary on the path to the truth of the union of nature with the Spirit of God. Tagore distinguished between two types of truths; The first type is a partial truth related to the sensible things on the surface of the planet, and the second type is the total or absolute truth related to existence as a whole.

What is consciousness from Tagore's point of view?

Tagore counted consciousness as the basis of truth, as truths need consciousness in order to realize them. This human consciousness is a part of the total consciousness, and the human mind is a part of the total mind that governs existence and the entire cosmic system. Also, Tagore called for operating the tools of human consciousness as the best way to reach knowledge of the total consciousness that manifested in this existence.

Tagore and Einstein's Debate on Consciousness and Humanity:

In the midst of his dialogue with Albert Einstein, Tagore focused on the idea that existence or the universe would not have existed without the existence of human and human consciousness. If all sciences are human and all feelings, creations, and inventions are human, then they are necessarily related to human consciousness, and even inanimate objects are not perceived except through this consciousness.

While Einstein believes that the inability to comprehend the elements of existence except through human consciousness is not a sufficient reason for the non-existence of the universe except through this consciousness, just as the inevitability of realizing mathematical or physical laws through human consciousness does not mean the inevitability of their full connection with it, or their absence in its absence. Einstein believes that the physical, chemical, and mathematical laws that regulate all interactions and processes of the cosmic system exist whether or not a person exists, and their discovery is an important reason for human development and progress.

Did Albert Einstein completely contradict Tagore's view?

The view of Einstein may not be contradictory to the view of Tagore, but it is from another perspective. Einstein did not deny the existence of God and believed in Him, but in the manner of the philosopher Spinoza. Einstein did not separate between God and nature, rather, for him they were very much integrated.

What is the truth from Albert Einstein’s point of view?

For Albert Einstein, truth was the factual truth governed by mental processes and mathematical and physical laws that we can observe, experience, apply, and feel their results. This thinking is not strange to Albert Einstein by virtue of his scientific background.

Einstein viewed truth as something that can be proven and verified by scientific or logical methods, and he emphasized on these methods and their exclusivity in building a tangible and useful reality. Also, he considered the human need for illusion or prescience as a legitimate human right, but on the condition that they do not force those around them to believe in what they do, and give others the freedom to believe in whatever truths that make them comfortable, or in what they consider to be truths in the light of their consciousness or mental and logical tools available to them.

What are the types of consciousness from Albert Einstein’s point of view?

Einstein divided human consciousness into two basic types. The first type is spiritual and is related to artistic taste, enjoying music, practicing yoga, performing prayers, and various spiritual experiences. As for the second type, it is scientific research methods, such as observation, experimentation, and other sensory means that depend on physical and mathematical laws, and follow clear logical principles such as cause and effect.

The relationship between the universe and consciousness according to Albert Einstein and Tagore:

Einstein viewed the universe in a way that is somewhat different from the view of Tagore, as he considered the existence of the universe completely independent of human or their consciousness. That is, it exists regardless of the existence or absence of consciousness, and it is embodied in its system, details, and various and varied environments, whether with or without human presence, in contrast to Tagore, who considered the existence of the universe to be linked to the existence of consciousness.

Einstein believes that the existence of consciousness can be counted in one way or another as a result of the existence of the universe or as a side effect resulting from the existence of the universe and the interaction of its components with each other. This interaction led to the development of organisms or a change in their nature in response to internal and external conditions and variables, and this led to the development of consciousness to its current form in parallel with human evolution in general.

Tagore says: Just as the atom in science is made up of protons and electrons that travel within orbits far apart from each other, and forces of attraction and repulsion arise between them, so is existence in which there are many elements that interact with each other leading to the balance of the cosmic system, the most important of which is consciousness and existence.

In conclusion:

We can conclude this article with the most important lesson that we can draw from this historic meeting, which is the need for dialogue between cultures, civilizations, and people with opinions and viewpoints, and this culture must be cultivated among people, whether between one society and another, or even within the society itself, while encouraging the acceptance of the other side, and moving away from the belief that we alone have the absolute truth and the right opinion because this widens the gap between civilizations and countries, as well as between the people of the same country. This impedes the process of human, social, cultural, and civilizational communication, and in turn, prevents progress and prosperity and hinders the problem-solving process, rather, it increases problems and creates new ones that did not exist before.