Contrary to popular views, Einstein said this not to indicate that he believed in God, but to oppose quantum theory with an approach that most people could not imagine, and to convey the idea that the particles of an atom cannot move in irregular ways.
Let’s delve deeper into this maxim and Albert Einstein’s point of view on this point.
In a 1926 letter to Max Born, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, Einstein says:
“Quantum theory promises a lot, but it doesn’t get us any closer to the secrets of the Eternal. I’m convinced that he doesn’t play dice with the universe, anyway.” In fact, the concepts of “Eternal” and “He” mentioned in this statement of Einstein are God. It would be correct to consider the phrase “God does not play dice” with two different approaches in this direction.
The first is that this scientist does not believe in quantum mechanics that the quantum, which includes nature and the universe, is completely random, that is, events occur only by chance. The second is Einstein’s views on religion and God.
To understand this statement more clearly, let’s look at quantum physics.
Quantum physics is one of the most fundamental reflections of modern physics, and even if we are not aware of it, it finds its place in most of the technology that makes our lives easier. Transistors, which play an important role in the operation of mobile phones or computers, and nuclear energy, which provides energy production with nuclear reactors, take the lead in this sense.
In addition, quantum theory is the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is widely used in the diagnosis of diseases, and lasers used in the treatment of myopia.
This broad physical theory was developed in the 1920s and allowed us to reach that “unseen” that we could not see with the naked eye or with tools.
In other words, it would not be wrong to say that we owe quantum physics to explain the physical properties and structure of atoms, our better understanding of phenomena such as nuclear reactions or particles collided in an accelerator, and our ability to examine elements more comprehensively.
Einstein, on the other hand, criticizes different aspects of quantum mechanics as a theory by saying that “God does not play dice”.
Although most of the universe is measurable and deterministic, quantum mechanics states that everything is based on tiny particles and the universe is governed by this randomness. What is remarkable at this point is that if quantum physics is such a useful theory, why Einstein did not agree with it.
First of all, quantum physics can’t actually predict anything with exact limits. This branch of physics is basically based on Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. In this principle, it is said that the position of a particle and its momentum, which is the velocity a particle can reach depending on its mass, cannot be measured simultaneously. Also, the acceleration of high-mass objects depends on a high momentum.
For example, even if it is possible to know the position of a nanocar composed of atoms developed in the nanotechnology industry, we cannot know its momentum relative to the quantum.
Even if the vehicle goes fast or continues its course slowly, there will be no change in this sense. In short, according to quantum physics, nothing is certain, and one can only predict how likely an event is to occur, just as one can know how many probabilities there are for a 6 to be rolled when the dice are thrown.
Einstein does not agree with this idea of uncertainty, and according to him, the physical properties of every particle or event must be measured with high precision. In this direction, quantum physics does not allow this. It just says how likely it is for a system of particles to behave in a certain way, but does not say how each particle in that system will behave.
Einstein did not accept this type of randomness and uncertainty involving nature and the universe, and expressed his view on the subject with the sentence “God does not play dice”.
The other approach, perhaps the one that confuses most people with what they’ve heard here and there: Einstein’s views on religion.
Einstein, who was brought up according to Jewish traditions and did not continue his religious practices after the intense religiousness he was in in his youth, was not an atheist, as he himself stated in an interview in 1929.
This scientist believed strongly in God, but he also had his own views on religion. He explains his thoughts in the first place by saying that God is everywhere and in everything, and therefore he finds himself close to Spinoza’s view of Pantheism. In other words, he did not believe in religions that had holy books and were referred to as divine religions.
Einstein; He stated that he clearly saw God in the order and rationality of the universe and nature with all its aspects and explained this as “cosmic religion”. For this reason, he stated that randomness and chaos are not a part of nature, and he expressed this as “God does not play dice”.
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