First published 2015
Freeman Dyson champions unconventional thinking and joyful exploration in scientific pursuit. This follow-up to The Scientist as Rebel spans centuries of inquiry, from the Royal Society's founding through Romantic era investigations to contemporary works by Daniel Kahneman and Malcolm Gladwell. Dyson aims to dissolve boundaries between science and other forms of human understanding. He profiles physics legends like Richard Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Paul Dirac, and Steven Weinberg, drawing on personal relationships with many. The book examines Winston Churchill's nuclear ambitions and Wernher von Braun's rocket development. Dyson tackles contentious modern topics with bold perspectives. He questions prevailing global warming calculations, predicts biotechnology will reshape the coming decades as genetic design tools become widely accessible, and addresses information overload in our digital era. The collection presents new angles on scientific history, philosophy, and practice, embracing the mistakes and failed theories that accompany our quest to comprehend nature.
Genres: philosophy, 20th-century, non-fiction, biography-memoir, physics, 21st-century, academic, history-of-science
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: joyful-exploration, unconventional-thinking
Period: Royal Society, Romantic Era, Contemporary
312 pages · Hardcover · New York Review Books