Subjunctive sentence by A. Einstein "The astonishing thing is that those discoveries were made at all." [closed]

About the development of Science and Technology in China, there was a famous question as "Needham's Grand Question" by Joseph Needham, also known as "The Needham Question" which is: why had China and India been overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite their earlier successes? A famous letter from Albert Einstein to US Army Colonel John Singleton Switzer in San Mateo in 1953 is related to this question. Here is the letter(cf: Letter to J.S. Switzer, April 23, 1953; Einstein Archive 61-381) :

Dear Sir：

Development of Western science is based on two great achievements: the invention of the formal logical system (in Euclidean geometry) by the Greek philosophers, and the discovery of the possibility to find out causal relationships by systematic experiment (during the Renaissance).

In my opinion one has not to be astonished that the Chinese sages have not made these steps. The astonishing thing is that those discoveries were made at all.

Sincerely yours,

Albert Einstein

So my question is about the meaning of the last sentence that is subjunctive to me. My understanding is "It is not astonishing the Chinese sages did not discover the logic system and systemic experimentation. If they did and made those discoveries, that would be astonishing". Is my understanding correct? Or, what did Einstein mean in plain English?

Solution 1:

That’s not the subjunctive, that’s the passive voice.

Passive:

The astonishing thing is that those discoveries were made at all.

Active:

The astonishing thing is that any civilization made those discoveries at all.

Here’s a paraphrase:

One does not have to be astonished that the once successful Chinese sages did not discover a formal logic system and systematic experimentation. The astonishing thing is that any civilization made those discoveries at all.