contributing members of AAAP
Ad astra Freeman Dyson!
One of the most significant and appreciated figures in the world of physics and in Princeton’s enduring scientific community, Freeman Dyson has passed away (Feb 28). Freeman Dyson was an early and continual member of AAAP over the past 40 years, and gave several lectures to our club through the years. He will be missed by the world and the entire science community. His writings convey much of his wit and wisdom and will be read for decades to come. To the stars, Freeman Dyson! – Rex Parker
We have lost a wonderful friend. Very sorry to hear this. – John Church
Just saw on the news – Freeman Dyson passed away today. A loss for the whole world and also for the AAAP. – Bill Murray
The words composed to acknowledge this giant of a mind were issued with the recoil and report of an army cannon:
legendary
visionary
iconoclastic thinker
Freeman Dyson quotes, served today, from the search engines at Google:
Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life it is perhaps the greatest of God’s gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, of arts and of sciences.
It is characteristic of all deep human problems that they are not to be approached without some humor and some bewilderment.
You ask: what is the meaning or purpose of life? I can only answer with another question: do you think we are wise enough to read God’s mind?
George Johnson, of the New York Times (1), writes:
Freeman J. Dyson, a mathematical prodigy who left his mark on subatomic physics before turning to messier subjects like Earth’s environmental future and the morality of war
Joel Achenbach, of the Washington Post (2), composes:
…a visionary physicist and technophile who helped crack the secrets of the subatomic world, tried to build a spaceship that could carry humans across the solar system, worked to dismantle nuclear arsenals and wrote elegantly about science and human destiny
Josh Siegel, of the Washington Examiner (3), opines:
Dyson was known for his “Dyson tree” concept, in which he envisioned that a genetically engineered plant could survive in a comet and grow in distant colonies. Another of his ideas, the Dyson sphere theory, was featured in Star Trek. The theory proposed that a technologically advanced society could surround its native star to maximize the capture of its available energy.
Freeman Dyson, born: December 15, 1923, died: February 28, 2020.
resources:
(1) Johnson, George. “Freeman Dyson, Visionary Technologist, Is Dead at 96.”, The New York Times, Retrieved February 28, 2020, from http://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/science/freeman-dyson-dead.html.
(2) Achenbach, J. (2020, February 28). Freeman Dyson, a visionary and renaissance physicist, dies at 96. Retrieved February 28, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/freeman-dyson-a-visionary-and-renaissance-physicist-dies-at-96/2020/02/28/0ba462e0-5a58-11ea-ab68-101ecfec2532_story.html
(3) Siegel, Josh (2020, February 28) Prominent Physicist and Climate Change Skeptic Freeman Dyson Dies At 96, Retrieved February 28, 2020, from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/prominent-physicist-and-climate-skeptic-freeman-dyson-dies-at96
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