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"Well, Doc, You're In": Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe
The life and work of Freeman Dyson—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—and his particular way of thinking about deep questions.
Freeman Dyson (1923–2020)—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—helped invent modern physics. Not bound by disciplinary divisions, he went on to explore foundational topics in mathematics, astrophysics, and the origin of life. General readers were introduced to Dyson’s roving mind and heterodox approach in his 1979 book Disturbing the Universe , a poignant autobiographical reflection on life and science. “Well, Doc, You’re In” (the title quotes Richard Feynman’s remark to Dyson at a physics conference) offers a fresh examination of Dyson’s life and work, exploring his particular way of thinking about deep questions that range from the nature of matter to the ultimate fate of the universe.
The chapters—written by leading scientists, historians, and science journalists, including some of Dyson’s colleagues—trace Dyson’s formative years, his budding interests and curiosities, and his wide-ranging work across the natural sciences, technology, and public policy. They describe Dyson’s innovations at the intersection of quantum theory and relativity, his novel nuclear reactor design (and his never-realized idea of a spacecraft powered by nuclear weapons), his years at the Institute for Advanced Study, and his foray into cosmology. In the coda, Dyson’s daughter Esther reflects on growing up in the Dyson household. “Well, Doc, You’re In” assesses Dyson’s successes, blind spots, and influence, assembling a portrait of a scientist’s outsized legacy.
Contributors
Jeremy Bernstein, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Esther Dyson, George Dyson, Ann Finkbeiner, Amanda Gefter, Ashutosh Jogalekar, David Kaiser, Caleb Scharf, William Thomas
Freeman Dyson (1923–2020)—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—helped invent modern physics. Not bound by disciplinary divisions, he went on to explore foundational topics in mathematics, astrophysics, and the origin of life. General readers were introduced to Dyson’s roving mind and heterodox approach in his 1979 book Disturbing the Universe , a poignant autobiographical reflection on life and science. “Well, Doc, You’re In” (the title quotes Richard Feynman’s remark to Dyson at a physics conference) offers a fresh examination of Dyson’s life and work, exploring his particular way of thinking about deep questions that range from the nature of matter to the ultimate fate of the universe.
The chapters—written by leading scientists, historians, and science journalists, including some of Dyson’s colleagues—trace Dyson’s formative years, his budding interests and curiosities, and his wide-ranging work across the natural sciences, technology, and public policy. They describe Dyson’s innovations at the intersection of quantum theory and relativity, his novel nuclear reactor design (and his never-realized idea of a spacecraft powered by nuclear weapons), his years at the Institute for Advanced Study, and his foray into cosmology. In the coda, Dyson’s daughter Esther reflects on growing up in the Dyson household. “Well, Doc, You’re In” assesses Dyson’s successes, blind spots, and influence, assembling a portrait of a scientist’s outsized legacy.
Contributors
Jeremy Bernstein, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Esther Dyson, George Dyson, Ann Finkbeiner, Amanda Gefter, Ashutosh Jogalekar, David Kaiser, Caleb Scharf, William Thomas
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 25, 2022
About the author
David Kaiser
43 books23 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
David Kaiser is an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society and the Department of Physics. He and his family live in Natick, Massachusetts.
David Kaiser is an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society and the Department of Physics. He and his family live in Natick, Massachusetts.
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December 29, 2022I first learned about Freeman Dyson in a pretty roundabout way. My friend Nat and I were in California to learn about the history of the atomic bomb, and we were put in touch with Ash Jogalekar, a science writer. We had dinner with Ash and learned that he had befriended Freeman Dyson when Dyson was in his mid-80s. And they had a real, genuine friendship! Like, they hung out on a regular basis and exchanged frequent emails and went out for dinner and talked about books and science. How many octogenarians are doing that? Pretty amazing.
Dyson was just like that. He loved people and he loved science and he hated the status quo. He fundamentally believed that science was about questioning dogma and breaking down consensus. If you wanted Freeman Dyson to believe something, tell him everyone else believed the opposite. This was an extraordinary character trait. It means that he was able to see things other people were unable to, in domains as wide-ranging as number theory, quantum mechanics, space exploration, nuclear disarmament, and the origins of life. Unfortunately it also led him to fight against the scientific consensus on climate change; these are the risks we take with highly subversive and generative thinkers. Can’t win ‘em all.
This book came out around the same time that I was visiting MIT so I knew I wanted to record an interview with David Kaiser in person. It was the first New Books Network interview I ever did in-person and I think it turned out really well, mainly because Dave is just a great guy and a phenomenal speaker.
Here it is on Apple Podcasts
And here it is on Spotify
Dyson was just like that. He loved people and he loved science and he hated the status quo. He fundamentally believed that science was about questioning dogma and breaking down consensus. If you wanted Freeman Dyson to believe something, tell him everyone else believed the opposite. This was an extraordinary character trait. It means that he was able to see things other people were unable to, in domains as wide-ranging as number theory, quantum mechanics, space exploration, nuclear disarmament, and the origins of life. Unfortunately it also led him to fight against the scientific consensus on climate change; these are the risks we take with highly subversive and generative thinkers. Can’t win ‘em all.
This book came out around the same time that I was visiting MIT so I knew I wanted to record an interview with David Kaiser in person. It was the first New Books Network interview I ever did in-person and I think it turned out really well, mainly because Dave is just a great guy and a phenomenal speaker.
Here it is on Apple Podcasts
And here it is on Spotify
Displaying 1 of 1 review