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Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe: “Well, Doc, You’re In”
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Description
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. ContributorsJeremy Bernstein, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Esther Dyson, George Dyson, Ann Finkbeiner, Amanda Gefter, Ashutosh Jogalekar, David Kaiser, Caleb Scharf, William Thomas
Additional information
| Weight | 0.55615 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 2.54 × 16.0274 × 23.6474 cm |
| Language | |
| Format Old` | |
| Pages | 224 |
| Imprint | |
| Publisher | |
| Year Published | 2022-10-25 |
| by | |
| Publication City/Country | USA |
| ISBN 10 | 0262047349 |
| About The Author | David Kaiser is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics at MIT. He is the author of several award-winning books on the history of science, including Quantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World, and the editor of Becoming MIT: Moments of Decision (MIT Press). His work has been featured in Science, Nature, the New York Times, and the New Yorker. |
"The book forms a colorful collage to give insight into the life of one of the giants of twentieth-century science."—Nature Physics"An appealing collection of tributes."—Nature"A thoroughly entertaining and fascinating collection of essays…a genuine read for those interested in the history of science and influential scientists, as Dyson worked with some of the best – and each contributing author paints a vivid picture of an aspect of Dyson’s life."—Physics World | |
| Other text | "This remarkable volume not only surveys the staggeringly diverse activities of Freeman Dyson — spanning World War II, the Cold War, and the cosmos — but also what thinking like Dyson must have been like. It's engrossing."—Michael D. Gordin, historian of science, Princeton University “These riveting essays will appeal to initiates as well as newcomers to Dyson’s wide-ranging and playful genius. His faith in science as a conspiracy of brains against ignorance remains particularly consoling and inspiring today.”—Nell Freudenberger, author of Lost and Wanted “A wonderful series of vignettes on Dyson's singular path through the universe, which left an indelible mark in a wide range of fields, from quantum electrodynamics to matters of war and peace.”—Juan Maldacena, Carl P. Feinberg professor at the Institute for Advanced Study |
| Table Of Content | Introduction 1David Kaiser1 The Secret Club of Heretics and Rebels 21Amanda Gefter2 Calculation and Reckoning: Navigating Science, War, and Guilt 47William Thomas3 The First Apprentice 71David Kaiser4 A Frog among Birds: Dyson as a Mathematical Physicist 105Robbert Dijkgraaf5 Single Stage to Saturn: Project Orion, 1957-1965 143George Dyson6 Dyson, Warfare, and the Jasons 177Ann Finkbeiner7 A Warm Little Pond: Dyson and the Origins of Life 203Ashutosh Jogalekar8 The Cosmic Seer 233Caleb Scharf9 A Bouquet of Dyson 257Jeremy BernsteinCoda: Not the End 271Esther DysonAcknowledgments 279About the Authors 281Index 285 |
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