Tuesday, March 9, 2026 | 10:00 AM
Albert Einstein: The Man Behind the Myth
Matthew Stanley / NYU
Breakfast University
Member early access ticketing opens on July 13th
General Public sales begin July 20th
Doors open at 9:15 AM, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.
Einstein’s name is synonymous with genius. His wild-haired, thoughtful-eyed face has become an icon of modern science. His ideas changed the way we see the universe, the meaning of truth, and the very limits of human knowledge. Einstein’s elevation to worldwide fame was closely tied to political and social developments such as World War I, Zionism, and the rise of the Nazis. As he became an incarnation of genius, people sought out his views on everything from world peace to the nature of God – and his opinions often had surprising links to his scientific work. The picture of Einstein we end up with, and what we’ll explore in this presentation, is a figure somehow both revolutionary and deeply traditional, emblematic of the modern age, but also profoundly uncomfortable with it.
About the Speaker
Matthew Stanley teaches and researches the history and philosophy of science. He holds degrees in astronomy, religion, physics, and the history of science and is interested in the connections between science and the wider culture.
Professor Stanley is the author of Einstein’s War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I, Practical Mystic: Religion, Science, and A. S. Eddington and Huxley’s Church and Maxwell’s Demon. His current project is a history of scientific predictions of the end of the world. Stanley has also worked with a nationwide National Science Foundation-funded effort to use the humanities to improve science education in the college classroom. He has held fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study, the British Academy, and the Max Planck Institute. He currently runs the New York City History of Science Working Group. In his spare time, he co-hosts the science podcast What the If? Stanley was awarded the 2019 NYU Distinguished Teaching Award and the 2014-2015 Gallatin Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
