4 ms·

I enjoy reading about Dyson and reading his writings. Among the greats he seems the most human. Von Neumann was always this martian with an IQ of 500, Einstein

I enjoy reading about Dyson and reading his writings. Among the greats he seems the most human. Von Neumann was always this martian with an IQ of 500, Einstein the quintessential absent-minded professor, Feynman the trickster genius, Landau the force if nature in life and research. But stories about Dyson always radiate human warmth. Very inspiring.

contingencies 7y ago
Sounds like his mother had a lot to do with that.
scottlocklin 7y ago
He's the only Christian of the five you mention. Dunno if that was done on purpose. He does seem especially nice though.
mhh__ 7y ago
I actually think Schwinger is (one of) the most human, by which I mean flawed. He was famous - from Gell-Mann to Dyson to [insert famous field theorist] - for being deliberately incomprehensible when explaining himself, very stubborn when it came to new ideas (to an almost ridiculous extent if Murray Gell-Mann was being serious) and almost literally obsessed with mathematical beauty over matching experiment. Feynman was also flawed, but more as a man than a scientist. Edit: A lesser-known but still very important particle physicist, Tom Kibble was known for being extremely humble and straightforward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHr9yrV2AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHr9yrV2AI
- ethn 7y ago
  https://youtu.be/UKbp85zpdcY?t=270 https://youtu.be/UKbp85zpdcY?t=270 Freeman Dyson speaking to the candidness of Schwinger in private one-on-one discussions.
  - mhh__ 7y ago
    That's actually partly what I meant in the sense that he was still normal underneath the ego(?)
  - lqet 7y ago
    Thanks, the whole interview is extremely interesting and relaxing to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzDA6mtmKQEgWfcIu49J4nN https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzDA6mtmKQE...
dr_dshiv 7y ago
He told us a story about being in London during ww2 as a teenager. He remarked, with a grin, that he wasn't afraid. Like a teenager, he rather enjoyed the crinkly sound of buildings getting crushed. ! He fell in love with math reading Bell's "Men of Mathematics"

contingencies 7y ago

Sounds like his mother had a lot to do with that.

scottlocklin 7y ago

He's the only Christian of the five you mention. Dunno if that was done on purpose. He does seem especially nice though.

mhh__ 7y ago

I actually think Schwinger is (one of) the most human, by which I mean flawed. He was famous - from Gell-Mann to Dyson to [insert famous field theorist] - for being deliberately incomprehensible when explaining himself, very stubborn when it came to new ideas (to an almost ridiculous extent if Murray Gell-Mann was being serious) and almost literally obsessed with mathematical beauty over matching experiment. Feynman was also flawed, but more as a man than a scientist. Edit: A lesser-known but still very important particle physicist, Tom Kibble was known for being extremely humble and straightforward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHr9yrV2AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHr9yrV2AI

ethn 7y ago
https://youtu.be/UKbp85zpdcY?t=270 https://youtu.be/UKbp85zpdcY?t=270 Freeman Dyson speaking to the candidness of Schwinger in private one-on-one discussions.
- mhh__ 7y ago
  That's actually partly what I meant in the sense that he was still normal underneath the ego(?)
- lqet 7y ago
  Thanks, the whole interview is extremely interesting and relaxing to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzDA6mtmKQEgWfcIu49J4nN https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzDA6mtmKQE...

dr_dshiv 7y ago

He told us a story about being in London during ww2 as a teenager. He remarked, with a grin, that he wasn't afraid. Like a teenager, he rather enjoyed the crinkly sound of buildings getting crushed. ! He fell in love with math reading Bell's "Men of Mathematics"