Although Einstein's involvement with the Manhattan Project was limited (by choice and by the FBI's discouraging report), it still surprised me that Einstein was active in notifying the US government and setting the basis for the project. I believe, for the most part, that this is surprising because we have been looking at strictly the virtues of a scientist in class. Einstein's involvement here goes beyond the telos of a scientist, although the project was science related. The letters written to President Roosevelt did not add to the existing knowledge about the world. They were not based on the scientific method. Rather, his letters were the catalyst for one of the world's major events that had unpredictable consequences. In addition, it seems uncomfortable to speak of those who led the Manhattan Project. As a complicated situation, the project doesn't necessarily shed good light on it's creators. I think it is an interesting concept in regard to the scientific telos, as well as the human telos.
I also think it is important, especially in these chapters, to give credit to Isaacson for his style of writing. Isaacson conveys the pure reverence that Einstein's colleagues had for him through great prose. Without saying it directly, Isaacson gives us the message that Einstein has achieved the internal good of science. In fact, the end of Einstein's life is not even celebrated in terms of his science, which has been affirmed countless times. Rather, he is celebrated for his "sweetness and humanity"; qualities that put him beyond merely an exemplary scientist. Regardless of his flaws, Einstein was an excellent scientist, and a great human being.
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