Physics in the Days of Einstein and Feynman | Freeman Dyson | Big Think

Physics in the Days of Einstein and Feynman
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Freeman Dyson never spoke to Einstein, but revered him from afar. He was a "totally exceptional person"-as was another colleague, Nobelist and "clown" Richard Feynman.
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FREEMAN DYSON:
Freeman J. Dyson is Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Physics and Astrophysics in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He has taught as a professor at the Institute since 1953, prior to which he was a professor for two years at Cornell University. His work on quantum electrodynamics marked an epoch in physics, with the techniques he used in this domain forming the foundation for most modern theoretical work in elementary particle physics and the quantum many-body problem. He is also celebrated as an author on science and related topics; his books include "Disturbing the Universe" (1966), "Weapons and Hope" (1984), "The Scientist as Rebel" (2006), and "A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe" (2007).
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TRANSCRIPT:
Question: Do you have any personal recollections of Einstein?
Freeman Dyson: I mean I was here in Princeton when Einstein was still alive, but I never spoke a word to him and in fact, he moved in his own circle of friends. He didn’t have anything much to do with the young people here at the institute, so we never actually contacted… He never came to our talks or to our meetings, which was a shame, but that’s the truth.
Question: What misconceptions do people have about Einstein?
Freeman Dyson: Well I suppose what most of what people believe about him is true, I would say. I mean he was a totally exceptional person in all sorts of ways. His science was exceptional. His humor was exceptional, his ability to say… just to answer questions in a witty way so that he got in headlines in the newspapers. He had just this wonderful gift of talking to the public, and in addition of course he had a turbulent family life and he was a, in many ways a selfish and unpleasant character, but on the other hand he was wonderful with children and so on. I mean there were all sorts of… He had wonderful qualities and those things I think the public rightly appreciated.
Question: Of the scientists you worked with, who inspired or mentored you?
Freeman Dyson: Well of course the one I wrote about most, the one I enjoyed most, was Richard Feynman. He was… When I knew him best he was quite young, so he and I were about five years apart, so he was a young professor and I was a student, and he took me for a ride across the country from here to Albuquerque in a rickety old car and we had a great time. So I mean he was a wonderful person to be around. In addition he was a genius and so he was doing the physics that actually made me famous. He had the ideas and then I translated them into mathematics, so we worked together in that sense, so he had always… He did the real work and I tied it up afterwards, but anyway, it was a great thing to be with him and I enjoyed him enormously, and in addition because he was a great joker, he was a clown. He loved to play the fool and he was famous for picking locks. He could open a safe and he did that quite a lot just in order to shock people, and he told stories about himself, most of which were true.
Recorded March 5th, 2010
Interviewed by Austin Allen

[@bigthink]

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[@lovetownsend]

Older folks talking about their experiences is so gold

[@ZixZone]

Especially the elderly elves.

[@philipmason5547]

Particularly the older folks who have made incredible intellectual contributions in the areas that enhance human understanding of the universe.

[@willwarden1631]

Look up project Orion it might change your outlook. Dyson is so next level you’ll never know probably for years and years what he really did.

[@black_jack_meghav]

Especially scientists

[@john10000ish]

Gifted older folks. Mediocre ones just talk nonsense.

[@yourlordandsaviouryeesusbe2998]

RIP Freeman Dyson. He leaves behind an unforgettable legacy.

[@twirlipofthemists3201]

A 5 day road trip with Dyson and Feynman. I would do that.

[@hansu7474]

You would do it? I'd pay my entire savings to do that (admittedly not much).

[@HASHHASSIN]

"You would do?" :) best joke brother :)

[@NisseOhlsen]

Yeah, just be a smart as Dyson and you'll be up next!

[@pratiksingh1714]

I would watch it. Entire 5 day documentary..

[@Juscz]

From what I know of Dyson's reputation, he is a phenomenal mathematician; so it is both very great and humble of him to acknowledge Feynman's contribution to Dyson's own success; that is very admirable, the mathematics-applied-to-physics genius Dyson acknowledging the contribution of the overall-physics genius Feynman.

[@kdub1242]

John Uscian Yup. He demonstrated the equivalence of Schwinger and Feynman's formulations of QED, and made important contributions to the perturbative calculation of scattering amplitudes, among other things. I don't know a lot about QED, but some of the experts believe Dyson may have also deserved a share of the Nobel for his work.

[@calvinsylveste8474]

Too bad he could not overcome the influence of ingrained mysticism which corrupted his ability to reason.

[@davidr346]

The series of 157 videos interviewing Dyson are fascinating. I don't think there is any other source for what Dyson says in those videos. And he consistently gives credit even-handedly where credit is due. By far my favorite living scientist.

[@ooos2989]

It's called mathematical physics.

[@ailblentyn]

What a humble genius. He will be missed. Thank goodness he leaves so much to posterity.

[@antun88]

Yes. So humble he didn't even mention his involvement in Operation Gomorrah.

[@SassePhoto]

Very impressive - straight to the point - a lot better than TED talk cosmetics

[@ddorman365]

Thank you Sir Dyson for your help and collaboration and support (great job on the mathematics!!:), I hope to see you soon, peace and love, Doug.

[@francoismorin8721]

Humble man when he talks about his collaboration with Richard Feynman. Wow that Feynman seemed like such a spirited human being. A genius he says, I am starting to believe he was a super genius to have mastered all regions of his brain, logic, artistic and emotional.

[@sabercrosby8128]

the dyson sphere is often referred to as freeman dysons most famous work but I think the Dyson tree is amazing too.. Living legend

[@thstroyur]

The work he's most famous for in the physics community is basically 2 papers that can be found in Schwinger's anthology of QED papers (which I own :) ); personal goal trying to understand those ancient hieroglyphs

[@jacobshirley3457]

His work on vacuums sucked.

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

@@jacobshirley3457 I'm also not fan.

[@jacobshirley3457]

@@punkisinthedetails1470 Cool.

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

@@jacobshirley3457 Not as cool as I'd like. His fans blow.

[@siddharthsingh4095]

He'd tell stories most of which were true 😁

[@drbonesshow1]

That's the best you can do.

[@pardismack]

Feynman knew how to sell himself to the public with an image that was somehow farfetched from who he is in reality.

[@ienjoyapples]

Implying some were not.

[@cinskybuhsrandy5099]

​@@pardismack I think that's the last thing he would do. He didn't need to pretend and certainly he didn't care about his public image. He was an extrovert and liked to show off, but there's no reason to suspect that his behaviour wasn't genuine, from his uncompromising enthusiasm to his proto-trolling. Great part of the public interested in him were other scientists, usually very clever people, often very sceptical. Do you think they'd just buy it? Do you have something to base your claim on? If not, why would you do such a great man an injustice? Out of envy?

[@pardismack]

@@cinskybuhsrandy5099 Yes he was an extrovert but he loves talking about women to appear as a womanizer as that was somehow celebrated at that period of time but in fact he was a family man and he prefers focusing on his family and on nerdy stuff

[@NothingMaster]

Dyson is always incredibly entertaining to listen to; a most gifted and engaging storyteller and mathematician. Feynman was a most creative genius and a natural born physicist. Although Feynman, the physicist, preferred to work with the pictorial representations of mathematical expressions, we should not forget that he was a mathematical heavyweight, as well. His groundbreaking work on the path integral formulation is a triumphant case in point. That said, Feynman’s creative mind was overwhelmingly preoccupied with new and revolutionary ideas and original insights and he opted not to spend his time working on tidying up the mathematical loose ends.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

When I think he get lost and gave up, he continues and manages to tie up the sentences very nicely at the end :D

[@astropgn]

+semih oguzcan Yeah. We can see that he had a great appreciation for Feynman, so talking about him brought so many memories that his brain went all slow processing all the stories they lived together.

[@willwarden1631]

If you listen to his lectures that’s kind of his style it’s like he’s got this enormous computer storage drive in his brain and sometimes it takes a second when he puts a request in before it comes back out but when it comes back out it’s unbelievably brilliant every time.

[@peterbneto]

That's what I enjoyed most about his speech.

[@Pussik]

Typical intj alike thinking looking from outside.

[@utulangi6078]

Thank God for recordings that I(we) can hear and see such great gifts like Mr. Dyson talking about other great people.

[@SamSalhi]

How humble these amazing people can be, we're just lucky to hear these stories!

[@Wilifeee]

Thank you for your contribution sir.

[@MohamedAbdin1]

" Physics in the Days of Einstein and Feynman " A Fantastic Title ! And a good video to watch :)

[@DrCrowie]

In other words you're saying that this video had absolutely nothing to do with physics, and was just an old guy trying to remember a couple of people he knew of.

[@friendlydragon8999]

Love watching him

[@manaoharsam4211]

Freeman Dyson ,Yes whatever little I read and know I think you did a great job in mathematics even a beginner like me found it very remarkable the way it worked. Great job.

[@medievalmusiclover]

Great experience for you. Than you for sharing!!!

[@sonicbroom6579]

One of the towering intellects of the 20th century and a foil to the manic genius of Richard Feynman

[@Jipzorowns]

nah not really, he just takes the time to think about his answers. (more people should do that imo) :)

[@tMontesJay]

Richard Feynman was also a very good bongo player

[@CesarClouds]

This man was just so brilliant. I once read an exchange between him and Dawkins about evolution. Dyson was a physicist but was knowledgeable enough about biology to go head to head with Dawkins. He was not to be messed with intellectually.

[@StephenDoty84]

They collaborated on what was called the Feynman-Dyson equation..

[@StankFernatra]

Great stuff. Thank you.

[@AFO_AnalyRics]

Where most would rather go dumb than tell the truth, this man right here would rather do the same than tell a lie...or even embellish. Respect.

[@johnwagner4776]

As a non-scientist, it's hard to understand why Dyson would say that Richard Feynman did the "hard work" when it was Dyson who had to develop the complex mathematical proofs.

[@6900xx]

I think it shows how humble of a person he is and that makes him more respectable.

[@bluemonstrosity259]

Feynman came up with the idea. Dyson described it mathematically. An analogy would be Feynman being the inventor of a product, Dyson being the guy who actually works out the ways to manufacture it

[@Selcuk.Aytimur]

Such a humble man 😍

[@wmlincolnmd828]

Love this guy. He was a living Newton. So sad he recently Passed.

[@readynowforever3676]

“Newton” !?!?! Newton was a rarefied mathematician innovator (he invented calculus) and transformational theoretical physicist. Freeman Dyson has extraordinary accolades, but no original thought to set him apart.

[@Treviscoe]

@@readynowforever3676 Probably true about Freeman Dyson, but by his own admission (in "Disturbing The Universe") that wasn't his role, at least not in theoretical physics. He tidied up loose ends and solved problems in work other people had done rather than come up with original theories himself.

[@readynowforever3676]

@@Treviscoe Fair enough

[@GH-oi2jf]

Newton? No.

[@collinsdarkwa281]

Very interesting

[@Stoicfantasy]

RIP Freeman Dyson (died 28.2.2020)

[@bestoutcomes]

I believe this gentleman is credible. His body language reveals sincerity. I particularly call attention to what he says about Feynman. Others who have videos on KZbin, featuring someone who claims to have "known" Feynman, show them -- when talking about Feynman -- putting him down and claiming he was self-absorbed, how much ego he had and how he tried to impress others with how smart he was, and just putting the man down incessantly. Which is inconsistent with 100% of the videos featuring Feynman himself. Whereby he exhibits none of this behavior they claim. Plus, much left out so as to deceive via omissions and commissions both. I have commented on those other videos but no one ever replies to challenge my assertions their guest is wrong. So, this is refreshing. To listen to him speak of Feynman about how Feynman actually was, rather than an erroneous perception due to some insecurity or having been a competitor who was outsmarted and embrassed perhaps by Feynman, who simplified their math and intentionally complex jargon. Anyway, this is a refreshing video.

[@rogeralsop3479]

Excellent man.

[@augustinemusoke]

Thanks😊

[@xit1254]

Dyson is a true contrarian, and I really admire him.

[@evo2542]

You can see how much he is visualizing what he is thinking about and visualizing memories i am sure.

[@Doones51]

"Feynman told stories about himself, most of which were true"

[@shervinanousheh3508]

I wish that as you grow older your intuition and cognitive capabilities got better so that people would have more to hope for

[@manchmalpfosten8133]

"He was a wonderful person to be around. In addition, he was a genius." Lmao, love this guy

[@deckiedeckie]

Freeman Dyson.....one of the smartest man ever lived....

[@gururajdeshpande8963]

Is he ( in the video ) who proposed Dyson sphere ..

[@u.v.s.5583]

Yes, he is.

[@Atanu]

@Gururaj Deshpande No, no, he's the inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner.

[@gururajdeshpande8963]

@@Atanu lol

[@PurnamadaPurnamidam]

A wonderful person Mr. Dyson

[@Nick-pd2yo]

I love how he mentions Feynamn because he is underrated. He spoke much more majestically and a he had an appreciation for the mundane and exquisite alike. Einstein is somewhat an anti-hero or a villain he lacks the morals to be the poster boy for physics

[@prakashsharma8368]

These people are true gods on our planet. Mankind is really blessed to have them.

[@SilentAdventurer]

Humankind

[@derek9153]

Sarosh Khan Really?

[@yourlordandsaviouryeesusbe2998]

@@SilentAdventurer stfu

[@SilentAdventurer]

Derek Shelton yes, really.

[@SilentAdventurer]

My Lord, I completely agree with you Thank you for expressing your kind sentiment with such elegance eloquence and brevity. Ever so grateful for the implicit compliment. I could go on but then...

[@elefader]

What an awesome necktie.

[@Morrphinne]

OMG, he look like John Forbes Nash o_O

[@Rico-Suave_]

Watched all of it 0:15

[@mator2339]

RIP Freeman Dyson.

[@rkr1410]

He was. Also, he's the closest thing I ever had or probably will have for an authority.

[@masonshen1146]

where can get prof Dyson's cool tie?

[@u.v.s.5583]

You can try to hunt him down and force him to give it to you. Otherwise you will have to be satisfied with a replica.

[@7grhpsyfuck272]

my class is taught in solitary confeynment, while everyone is listening in to the lecture.

[@uzairhussain4856]

Feynman ♥️ feynman ♥️ feynman ♥️

[@goosew3266]

RIP old boy

[@gibbogle]

Dyson's nose and ears are exceptional.

[@Dalroc]

His brain was buffering.. Despite being a great physicis and theorist, his mind is probably getting a bit slower.

[@nemooutis-marcusboateng7459]

Dalroc maybe his body is slow

[@Doones51]

i think that he was considering his words carefully as this was an interview asking his opinions on other scientists. More people should consider their words as carefully.

[@AE-yr6mo]

He was like 90 years old lol.

[@garyshepherd9367]

RIP

[@MrBlues113]

His cable gets unplugged sometimes

[@benquinney2]

I,’m a bachelor

[@adityaraj8364]

RIP 🙏

[@luckyirvin]

when Mr. Dyson said "..and he told stories about himself, most of which were true"

[@u.v.s.5583]

Knowing how outrageous they are, that's already saying much to RF credit!

[@nikhilpandey2364]

I'll go to hell for this but this dude made me think that the video was buffering...

[@Edude117]

Don't you think it'd take a tad bit more to go to hell?

[@FocusMrbjarke]

I thought the same thing but I haven't seen a lot of videos of him

[@winstoncat6785]

No you won't. It's true. Freeman Dyson is clearly struggling these days. He was always a little aloof when he spoke. But now he is well past 90, and this is what becomes of almost all of us at that age. Still pretty good all things considered, and a wonderful character too.

[@professorboltzmann5709]

Nikhil Pandey omg

[@MrSidney9]

Lol me too!

[@zhir6465]

Who saw the ad?

[@FutureAgvbdnwBgc]

Rip

[@prithvib8662]

RIP Mr.Dyson

[@gerRule]

0:44 I thought my sound went

[@smarajitpunaykanti6463]

a genius without a phd . freeman dyson .RIP

[@TomasGO85]

Only Dyson can says that Einstein was a clown 😹😹😹😹

[@Zweizweinull]

war is a trap bigthink prepare for more planets and thruths big love you got it

[@Frisbieinstein]

He was a STUDENT during the QM days? Good Lord. No wonder he didn't need a PhD.

[@DavidMaurand]

i'm grateful to have heard this gracious comment while this man could still deliver it. i pray there is a heaven for such a person.

[@rezomegrelidze]

Programming is a craft.

[@michaeladrian2210]

I miss hearing Freeman speak

[@iunnox666]

I thought this was going to be about how concepts differed back then, not just celebrity gossip.

[@samslick9000]

Freeman has Yoda ears

[@elenakusevska6266]

"Most of which were true" :)

[@drbonesshow1]

Einstein was somewhat ambidextrous.

[@NorceCodine]

The truth is Einstein hated Princeton, he addressed his letters as "Concentration Camp Princeton", and he refused to learn English. He only talked to the Mathematician Goedel in German (who starved himself to death in protesting the intellectual backwaterness of Princeton). Einstein realized, however painful it was, that the intellectual stimulation of German science made him who he was. The stillborn American social engineering at Princeton was a charade. Thats why he didn't achieve anything anymore, and he died a bitter man.

[@boydmccollum692]

NorceCodine well Einstein has only himself to blame - he didn’t need to stay at Princeton, especially after the war. It’s a bit of a cop out that he would blame Princeton for his situation.

[@DCYTB]

Apparently Feynman was a Feyn man

[@johntower2005]

r.i.p 😎2/28/20

[@rawbacon]

His vacuums cost too much.

[@Atanu]

@Raw Bacon. Seriously. For such a brilliant man, I had hoped that his vacuum cleaners would be more affordable. But no. With all this brilliance, he could not produce a cheap but effective vacuum. Very, very disappointing. Ha ha.

[@digxx]

I dont want to put down Feynman, but this humble sentence "He did the real work and I tied it up afterwards" is a bit too much. I mean ideas are important, but also to put it in the mathematical framework...

[@superroydude]

digxx It's not like Feynman didnt have a mathematical method to his theory. He devised a method that could carry out calculations extremely quickly and arrived to the correct conclusion. The problem was that his method was virtually incomprehensable to everyone else. What Dyson did was make feynman's theory mathematically rigorous by translating it into a language people could underatand.

[@AbhishekMishra-jd4bn]

Young folks getting chances to learn from the giants themselves are lucky.

[@Toxinomist]

Watch Bill Burr on plastic surgery... you ll reconsider your statement.

[@gururajdeshpande8963]

He was a great joker

[@StephenDoty84]

1:40 Gell-Man spoke of how Feynman had a big ego and struggled to cultivate his own legend.

[@l2ic3]

Stephen Doty Murray Gell-Mann was himself enormously egotistical and self satisfied. So I could understand why someone like Feynman would cause Gell-Mann to feel very insecure and jealous.

[@StephenDoty84]

l2ic3 Aha, interesting counterpoint.

[@andrewdeen1]

+Stephen Doty this is the second comment section where i see you trying to trash feynman.. why watch videos of people praising him then.. some kind of inferiority complex? i mean you knew what this would be by the title... and the timestamp you cited was about einstein.

[@StephenDoty84]

Andrew Deen You say, "i see you trying to trash feynman.." No, and shame on your for making such a false accusation. Feynman would detest your logic, for it is not an accurate inference from my comment, which is factual, stupid, as it recounts what Gell-Man said. And he knew Feynman personally. Evil idiots online, like you, seem to misconstrue others on purpose.

[@deckiedeckie]

+Stephen Doty ...Gell-Man was a peacock....

[@steffen5121]

So he was 87 back then...

[@steffen5121]

highlights 0:49, 1:18, 3:08

[@Abon963]

Y

[@ethiesm1]

Old age is a disease, let's solve this and get on with it. What a legend

[@TapabrataGhosh]

You know, smart people can be wrong about things too...

[@jamesmcload1137]

Really?

[@johnwinchester8537]

Oh my gosh!

[@johnjohnson5818]

Who'd'a thought?

[@meganperreault5191]

sound 80 when your 40.

[@graceonfilmsnstuff]

"...most of which were true." 🤣

[@avnertishby]

What a waste it is to have Freeman Dyson in the room and only ask him about other people...

[@fanarts5290]

forgot tesla??

[@flumpyhumpy]

The internet's collective circle jerk over Nikola Tesla is as pathetic as it is sickening. The guy was noteworthy, but a long way from the likes of the QM crowd.

[@Aruoski]

Every time he paused i kept thinking the video was buffering.

[@LeandroFosque]

I like Dyson, but saying that the world is getting greener and therefore preserves biodiversity is misleading. Certainly rain forests are being destroyed, and therefore entire ecosystems are being extinct. They are getting replaced by monoculture, so they still being green from a satellite. The main problem is this kind of destruction, that is what people have to fight against first. The world needs a people that don't necessary believe in climate change, but fight against monoculture, population growth, the destruction of biodiversity, and contamination. Since the real crisis is energy.

[@jccusell]

+Frank Zaka Why is this a crisis?

[@soulscanner66]

Climate change is not a belief. It's an observation based on data. It's causes are a question of well-tested theories and predictions confirmed by yet more accurate and complete observations and data. The loss of biodiversity and its causes are similarly a question of observations.

[@jccusell]

Could you point to someone or an article that claims that climate does not change?

[@hansenchen1]

+Guy Souriandt: Your claims are way over-blown. It is a speculation based on some data, and with huge amount of assumptions at that. With that amount of assumption, particularly the vehemence with which most the supporters preach climate change without rigorous scientific deduction and proof, it is not too far from a religious belief.

[@AvatarOfBhaal]

climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

[@richardcarew2481]

The difference between then and now is... we only do science that we can get funded for... it's a great way to only do science that is approved by our benevolent government, and/or Big Pharma... kids in the US spend an inordinate amount of time learning fractions, which are used in US measures, but not elsewhere.... I ask, and am told, constantly... it's universally thought that math is hard... our medical "doctors" are only required to have one year of undergraduate chemistry... because real chemistry requires mathematics... and math is hard.... so we have a country full of people who cannot understand simple mathematics... science requires mathematics.. science is all about measuring the Universe we live in... I am going to change a few things, given the chance.... it's like "hello World " in every programming language I know... with a twist... watch out World... here I come

[@richardcarew2481]

Which is why people think getting 15 bucks an hour will end poverty... and we now have 15 dollhair hamburgers... duh!

[@richardcarew2481]

Fractions are hard, I still can't do all that stuff, I divide and use decimals.. ;;~》 problem solved... because it is easy to think in decimals... every kid in America learns how to sit up straight and pay attention, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, and the teacher teaches them that math is hard... because they don't hire mathematicians as first grade teachers... so they don't understand what they're teaching... To watch a real teacher, Richard Feynman is the best... because he makes it fun... doesn't give long drawn out explanations.. short concise explanations are his forté... he also translates from metric into American... we call it the Imperial measurement system... the Brits went metric long ago... it's American... because he knows the young folks in his audience don't understand metric.... Ronald Ray-gun locked us out of the metric system by saying the little dears would be confused by learning 2 measurement systems... his Alzheimer's riddled brain leads us still... that's why everyone thinks math is hard.. fractions are.. that's all they know... after 30 years, I finally got through to my wife, who says she doesn't understand metric.. it's because she doesn't understand American either, and I kept saying... if you can count to 10 you understand metric... finally, I told her... it's like making change for a dollar... bingo... every kid in America learns that before school even... far out man!

[@richardcarew2481]

My father taught me calculus when I was 3.. by describing the flight of a ball as it is thrown... it included acceleration and deceleration, arcs and the tangent needed to calculate the arc... and the arc decreases over time... the laws of motion were in there... he was getting his first Master's in nuclear engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey... my son got more or less the same lecture

[@richardcarew2481]

He was in college level calculus in 7th grade.. he could do it all along.. it's not hard at all

[@habibullaharaphat8496]

Very misleading title.

[@janosk8392]

Printed twice for luck.

[@Falcrist]

You either responded to the wrong person, or you forgot to read my comment.

[@NganLe-ty5nd]

no you don't