Thread by @curiouswavefn

I am devastated to hear that my longtime email correspondent and friend Freeman Dyson has passed away at 96. For ten years I shared a wonderful personal correspondence with him and he imparted so much wisdom to him. He was one of the true greats, and now he belongs to the ages.

I can say so much more about this remarkable man, but our last email exchange was only about a month ago. I was supposed to meet him in San Diego, but he told me he was not well. I had an ominous feeling, but he ended the email telling me to keep him updated on my latest research

For me this feels like the end of an era. Remember first meeting Freeman for lunch on a beautiful fall day in 2010. I had lunch with him every year since until I moved to CA. Lunch, dozens of insightful exchanges about science, family, book recommendations. A warm, beloved man.

We spoke and emailed about everything; all kinds of science and books, historical reminiscences, politics. I wrote to him when my father died, when I despaired about the world; he offered rational reassurances. He was eternally curious, always interested in what I was up to.

Apart from being a tremendous intellect whose work ranged across mathematics, physics, engineering and book writing, he was first and foremost a wonderful person, very fond of individuals and their idiosyncrasies, knowing that ultimately it’s personal stories that matter the most

Our conversations always hinged on two main topics - science and family. And those two words could summarize Freeman: he was most fond of his six children and sixteen grandchildren, even more than he was of his beloved number theory, genetics and quantum electrodynamics.

Six years ago I attended his fabulous 90th birthday celebration. He was both physically and mentally in great shape and I promised him I would be back for his 100th. I will now have to be content with my wonderful memories of this once-in-a-century intellect and beautiful man.

Our conversations always hinged on two main topics - science and family. And those two words could summarize Freeman Dyson: he was most fond of his six children and sixteen grandchildren, even more than he was of his beloved number theory, genetics and quantum electrodynamics

I am still trying to process this news, but for me it’s the end of an era that started in 1999, when I came across a curious, dusty book in the college library titled “Disturbing the Universe”, by an author whose name I had never heard. What clarity. What poetry. I was transfixed

There’s lots of material written about and by Dyson, but if you want to get an intimate glimpse of his life and thought, the two best sources are his autobiography, “Disturbing The Universe”, and Kenneth Brower’s “The Starship and the Canoe”, about him and his son George.

I reviewed his last book, a wonderful collection of letters published last year.

3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2…

A great passage from the book on how pure theorist Dyson’s unexpected facility with practical engineering calculations was unnerving to his fellow nuclear spaceship scientists.

The overriding message that Freeman left for us in these times is to be kind and friendly even when you disagree, to encourage disagreement without equating it with “disloyalty” to some “cause”, to be a community where diversity of views is not only tolerated but celebrated.

I am profoundly saddened by a feeling of personal loss, but I also get a sinking feeling when I am unable to answer the following question: are we, today, as tolerant to the kind of open-minded, contrarian thinking that Dyson exemplified without being hostile as we were before?

I’ll be tweeting a few Dyson-related articles from the last few years. First is a report from his 90th birthday celebration in Princeton blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wa…

Second: A set of personal reminiscences written when he turned 93 wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2016/12/infini…

Third: Review of his essay collection “Dreams of Earth and Sky”

wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2015/05/a-revi…

Fourth: On Freeman Dyson, cadmium estimation and the joy of chemistry

blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wa…

Fifth: Review of his beautiful essay collection which was his last book

3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2…

A fond look at the notes I scribbled after my first meeting with Freeman Dyson on Nov 10, 2009. The sheer breadth of topics we discussed for more than 3 hours - climate change, nuclear weapons, politics and his growing fondness for the Kindle - is testament to his curiosity.