Rhetorical Analysis Of Phyllis Wright's Letter To Albert Einstein

Have you ever questioned scientists religious beliefs? A young girl asked, and got a vague answer. Phyllis Wright, a sixth grade girl, wrote to Albert Einstein, asking him if scientists pray, and if they did, what they would pray for. When reading Einstein’s response, you get a very unclear answer to this question most people think about. The speaker of this letter is Albert Einstein; a man who is widely considered the greatest scientist of the twentieth century. The attended audience at the beginning was just Wright, and maybe some of her peers. Today, the intended audience is anyone who is interested on this topic along with high school students. Einstein uses multiple literary devices throughout his letter, including ethos, logos, and pathos, to answer the young girl's question about praying. First off, given that Einstein is a very well known scientist,

Instead he states, “a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer,” which could be taken as saying no, scientists do not pray. The reason behind this logic is “scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature,” Einstein uses logos the most frequently in his letter. He appeals to logos a second time as he addresses the counterargument, he says “however, it must be admitted that our actual knowledge of these laws is only imperfect and fragmentary,” which portrays a humble attitude towards his audience. He follows that by saying “But, on the other hand, everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe -- a spirit vastly superior to that of man” By saying this, it portrays that he is open-minded, and is not saying that spirits do not exist, but explains that the view of someone in the scientific field views said