3 ms·

I agree that he had to come to the US to do science while dealing with a whole lot of different racial BS when he did. The same Wiki articles and his later lec

I agree that he had to come to the US to do science while dealing with a whole lot of different racial BS when he did. The same Wiki articles and his later lectures say that he considered Eddington a friend despite all the sabotage. The academic establishment was derelict in not backing him but that's common. In a sort-of similar case, Oppenheimer kept shooting Dyson down when the latter was explaining his synthesis of the different approaches to QED. Bethe had to intervene for him to be allowed to speak. I acknowledge that it is an imperfect analogy since Dyson was as British as they came and there was not the racist angle. I think Chandrasekhar's legacy is assured despite his own misgivings. He is remembered and admired and will be for a long time. Regrets? He had a few but he did it his way. After all, the Nobel Committee only cited Einstein for the photoelectric effect.

082349872349872 2y ago
Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention Equated what I had to do And summed them through without exemption I planned each tensor'd field Each manifold along the byway And more, much more than this I did it my way -- Albert "Ol' Brown Eyes" Einstein (whose daughter, Nancy, would go on to have a 1974 hit, "These Roots are Made for Hawking") Lagniappe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpokGKJcRkQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpokGKJcRkQ
rramadass 2y ago
I always contrast Eddington's treatment of Chandrasekhar with G.H.Hardy's treatment of Ramanujan decades before. The latter nurtured a younger man's genius which is what every scientist should do; true genius is too scarce and random and so one must be able to recognize it and fan the flames into roaring discoveries. As Conan Doyle says in the novel, The Valley of Fear; “Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.”.
- OldGuyInTheClub 2y ago
  Thanks for the discussion and the interesting links. It is unfortunate that so few of his lectures were recorded and that there are only clips of him in his own voice.

082349872349872 2y ago

Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention Equated what I had to do And summed them through without exemption I planned each tensor'd field Each manifold along the byway And more, much more than this I did it my way -- Albert "Ol' Brown Eyes" Einstein (whose daughter, Nancy, would go on to have a 1974 hit, "These Roots are Made for Hawking") Lagniappe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpokGKJcRkQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpokGKJcRkQ

rramadass 2y ago

I always contrast Eddington's treatment of Chandrasekhar with G.H.Hardy's treatment of Ramanujan decades before. The latter nurtured a younger man's genius which is what every scientist should do; true genius is too scarce and random and so one must be able to recognize it and fan the flames into roaring discoveries. As Conan Doyle says in the novel, The Valley of Fear; “Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.”.

OldGuyInTheClub 2y ago
Thanks for the discussion and the interesting links. It is unfortunate that so few of his lectures were recorded and that there are only clips of him in his own voice.