[wantonebad]

It's a significant piece of history and an important document. It can be argued that Einstein wasn't the most important physicist of the 20th century or that even some of his theories were flawed. What can't be argued is his status as scientific and cultural icon. He personified science for many and was the defacto "learned man" of the time.

When he wrote that letter to Gutkind it was a kind of chastisement or lecture on what Einstein viewed as a bunch of voodoo and Gutkind's perpetuation of that voodoo. Religon and science have been warring for centuries even still they're at each others throats. Little common ground exists and this letter is the clear view of a man who felt stongly his side had the only logical answer and it was his responsibility to set Gutkind straight.