The OP makes an interesting point, but I think Steve Hsu's post below provide a more nuanced discussion of Oppenheimer and of the book mentioned in the linked a

The OP makes an interesting point, but I think Steve Hsu's post below provide a more nuanced discussion of Oppenheimer and of the book mentioned in the linked article: http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2013/07/strange-gadget-robert-oppenheimer.html http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2013/07/strange-gadget-robert-o... Elsewhere, Hsu also links to this review by Freeman Dyson of the same book: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/aug/15/oppenheimer-shape-genius/?pagination=false http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/aug/15/oppenhe... in which, rather than to lack of confidence, Dyson attributes Oppenheimer's "failure to be a great scientist" to: a lack of Sitzfleisch. Sitzfleisch is a German word with no equivalent in English. The literal translation is “Sitflesh.” It means the ability to sit still and work quietly. He could never sit still long enough to do a difficult calculation.