Einstein and the Mentalists

From eerie encounters with purported psychics to “spooky action at a distance.”

Of all the writings by Albert Einstein, one of the most surprising of his contributions was his preface to Upton Sinclair’s 1930 book on telepathy, Mental Radio. Sinclair, a well-known writer (The Jungle) and social activist, wrote that book in reaction to his feeling that his wife had uncanny powers, such as the ability to read his mind. If he lost his keys, she knew exactly where to find them. Some might argue that such “mind-reading” happens regularly for couples, who start to get to know each…