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Primary sourceLetter1933

Why War?

Albert Einstein · 1933

A 1933 published correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud discussing the causes of war and how to prevent it.

Freud's own letter, written as a reply to Einstein, applying his psychoanalytic theory of aggression to the cause of war.

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Cover of the 1933 pamphlet 'Warum Krieg?' (Why War?), a correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud. Cream cover with text 'Ein Briefwechsel', the names Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, the title 'Warum Krieg?' flanked by blue vertical bands reading 'Völkerbund', and publisher details for Internationales Institut für Geistige Zusammenarbeit, Paris.
Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, Warum Krieg? (Why War?), 1933.

About this source

What it is

This is the cover of 'Warum Krieg?' ('Why War?'), a 1933 pamphlet publishing letters exchanged between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, sponsored by the League of Nations' International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation in Paris.

Why it matters

In this exchange, Einstein and Freud, two of the most famous thinkers of their time, discussed why humans go to war and whether it could ever be prevented. It shows Einstein's pacifism and his belief that science and reason could be used to search for international solutions to conflict, at a moment when the world was sliding toward another war.

Look closer

  • Why might the League of Nations want a physicist and a psychoanalyst to discuss the causes of war?
  • What does this exchange tell you about how Einstein saw his role beyond physics?
  • What questions do you think Einstein and Freud might disagree about?

This letter is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sigmund Freud on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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