"The life and work of Freeman Dyson-renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast-and his particular way of thinking about deep questions.
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"
By:
David Kaiser
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780262047340
ISBN 10: 0262047349
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 15 December 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction 1 David Kaiser 1 The Secret Club of Heretics and Rebels 21 Amanda Gefter 2 Calculation and Reckoning: Navigating Science, War, and Guilt 47 William Thomas 3 The First Apprentice 71 David Kaiser 4 A Frog among Birds: Dyson as a Mathematical Physicist 105 Robbert Dijkgraaf 5 Single Stage to Saturn: Project Orion, 1957-1965 143 George Dyson 6 Dyson, Warfare, and the Jasons 177 Ann Finkbeiner 7 A Warm Little Pond: Dyson and the Origins of Life 203 Ashutosh Jogalekar 8 The Cosmic Seer 233 Caleb Scharf 9 A Bouquet of Dyson 257 Jeremy Bernstein Coda: Not the End 271 Esther Dyson Acknowledgments 279 About the Authors 281 Index 285
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.
Reviews for Well, Doc, You're In
"""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"
