Thread by @sarahsalviander

I’m sort of fascinated by the character of Hugh Everett III, the eccentric atheist physicist who came up with the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics. It was an early iteration of the multiverse, and Everett was a staunch believer in it. …

Everett was a cold, distant man who was so consumed by epicurean extremes that he died drunk at the age of 51. He was a failed father who left behind unhappy children, one of whom later committed suicide and wanted her remains thrown in the trash, just like her father. However…

…there were two aspects to Everett's life that were somewhat redeeming.

After Many Worlds was utterly rejected by Niels Bohr and others, he gave up research in quantum physics, and went to work for the Pentagon. There he analyzed nuclear war scenarios based on game theory…

…and became the first scientist to convince American military leaders that a nuclear war was unwinnable. We should all be grateful.

His second redemptive act was just as meaningful.

Everett was undeniably brilliant. As a student, he formulated a logical proof that argued against the existence of God. It was apparently so effective that when he showed it to one of his Catholic professors, it thrust the professor into depression and nearly destroyed his faith.

After that experience, Everett decided never to use the proof again. It was a strangely compassionate act for such a person. Not that I think the proof really did disprove God; but even as a staunch atheist, it signaled that Everett had no desire to destroy the faith of others.

I don't think Everett's personal philosophy gave him or his family much comfort. He seemed to live for himself. But whatever his faults, however complex and tragic, he made an invaluable contribution to the nuclear war debate, and a commendable personal decision.