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Freeman Dyson passed away on February 28 at the age of 96. The mathematical physicist came to the Institute for Advanced Study in 1948, a time when Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer roamed the grounds. (Thread)
In our latest Quantized column, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Dyson’s colleague at the Institute, remembered him as “one of [the world’s] most versatile scientists and astute humanists.”
https://www.quantamagazine.org/remembering-the-unstoppable-freeman-dyson-20200413/
![In our latest Quantized column, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Dyson’s colleague at the Institute, remembered him as “one of [the world’s] most versatile scientists and astute humanists.” https://www.quantamagazine.org/remembering-the-unstoppable-freeman-dyson-20200413/](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV1m_SMXsAsah-B.jpg "In our latest Quantized column, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Dyson’s colleague at the Institute, remembered him as “one of [the world’s] most versatile scientists and astute humanists.” https://www.quantamagazine.org/remembering-the-unstoppable-freeman-dyson-20200413/")
https://www.quantamagazine.org/remembering-the-unstoppable-freeman-dyson-20200413/
Dyson was known for his fundamental contributions to particle physics, but also infamous for his contrarian nature. Dijkgraaf recalls a maxim that Dyson’s colleagues developed about him: “If you want Freeman to agree with you, surround him with people who disagree with you.”
Freeman Dyson’s contrarianism also reflected his concern for diversity. Dyson once wrote that “the preservation and fostering of diversity is the great goal which I would like to see embodied in our ethical principles and in our political actions.”
Freeman Dyson valued diversity in thought and study. At a book tour event in 2018, he was asked, “Professor Dyson, if you could live for another hundred years, what would you work on?” He responded, “That is a stupid question. I have a short attention span.”
“People are often asking me what’s going to happen next in science that’s important. Of course, the whole point is that if it’s important, it’s something we didn’t expect. In order for science to go on, it has to have mysteries.” – Freeman Dyson
For @RHDijkgraaf's reflection on Freeman Dyson’s life and work, and for ongoing reporting on physics, mathematics, computer science and biology, visit http://quantamagazine.org . (/thread)