D O C U M E N T S 3 9 9 , 4 0 0 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 2 9 3 7 1 Lichtwitz has once again taken care of me very diligently [4] he is an uncom- monly brilliant and at the same time cheerful man. I am very glad to have gotten to know him through you. Wishing you happy times and joy in your work, your A. Einstein 399. To Peter L. Konisski [Berlin,] 9 February 1929 Dear Sir,[1] I am firmly convinced that the more deeply they are thought through, the less philosophical schools differ from one another in their relationship to questions of human existence. For example, from the standpoint of the materialistic school one arrives at a low opinion of the effects of the intellectual only if one underestimates the importance of processes and interactions in the brain, as well as their effects on human action. For then everything seems to be completely determined by external factors such as climate, nutrition, etc. A politician might use a superficial concep- tion of this kind, but a serious thinker will never be satisfied with it.— Now, so far as the religious is concerned, I do not believe in the supernatural or- igin of any human traditions. The source of a religious conviction is instead the su- perior spirituality that is expressed in the laws of nature that are still only very imperfectly known to us.[2]— Respectfully yours, 400. To Chaim Weizmann [Berlin,] 9 February 1929 Dear Mr. Weizmann, I would like to kiss the hand of the man who imprisoned you there so that you can have a little rest, at least for a short time.[1] Thank you very much for your kind words about my newspaper article.[2] With an author, at least one knows right away where flattery is best applied so that one doesn’t have to hunt around first. I know nothing about four-dimensional Riemannian geometry, over which even experts don’t sweat. So just leave that hobbyhorse to those who regularly have to feed it in its stall.[3] With best wishes and greetings, your A. Einstein