Freeman Dyson - Edward Teller: Like a spoilt brat (114/157)
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- čas přidán 4. 09. 2016
- To listen to more of Freeman Dyson’s stories, go to the playlist: • Freeman Dyson (Scientist)
Freeman Dyson (1923-2020), who was born in England, moved to Cornell University after graduating from Cambridge University with a BA in Mathematics. He subsequently became a professor and worked on nuclear reactors, solid state physics, ferromagnetism, astrophysics and biology. He published several books and, among other honours, was awarded the Heineman Prize and the Royal Society's Hughes Medal. [Listener: Sam Schweber; date recorded: 1998]
TRANSCRIPT: And the interaction with Teller was delightful, because we fought like cats. He's a very emotional guy, as is well known, so when we disagreed he would very often just go off in a huff and throw a tantrum and say, 'I'm going to quit if I don't get my way,' and then Freddie de Hoffman would be scared because he didn't want to lose Edward Teller, so Freddie would then decide that things had to be done the way Teller wanted. So he would always win the argument by throwing a tantrum. But I was quite happy because I knew it would all pass over in a couple days, and it was just an interesting human spectacle to watch Teller in action. So I never took it personally, and then in two days Teller would have forgotten or would have had a new brilliant idea and we'd all be happily working together again.
[SS] I mean, as you said, this is 2 years after the Oppenheimer resolution, of severing his ties with the AEC and the community... the physics community was certainly unhappy with Teller's behaviour. Did it manifest itself at San Diego during 1956?
No, the people there were all Teller's friends, more or less. I mean, Freddie had been very close to him, Freddie de Hoffman who was the boss, and I think everybody there was basically on Teller's side. I mean not that they approved of what he'd done in the hearings, but we all found... I mean, we knew Teller was a spoilt brat, that was all, I mean, that he was power hungry and he was unscrupulous and... and he would behave in a brattish way, but still he was somebody you could work with and, and he always produced these brilliant ideas. So we could tolerate him very well, whether we agreed with his politics or not. - Věda a technologie
he kept saying: i never took it personally
ohh what a humble man
So much love for this man.
Oh yea and Freeman Dyson was just such an angel!
0:25 freeman dyson telling us how to deal with difficult people in our group like a pro without even realizing it
No, the trick is to bring a beautiful woman in the room, then he'd be way too frightened of making a fool out of himself, be on his best manners.
Thank you for this post. It is always fascinating to look back into the past and get just a faint glimpse of the interactions which occur between men (and women) of destiny. Dyson will always stand out as one of "The Greats".
Dyson was smart in a many ways.
Dyson is cool !!!
Listen to me you need to make sure you 1 hundred percent for sure have this data saved even if you got a print it out on metallic tape and punch it out like paper tape to make sure there’s no way it gets lost you’ve got to save this. Thank you
How nice to prioritize work with the assumption it is orthogonal to elements of character.
It is sadly completely lost in academia today.
@@jepkofficial or so you're told, as a non physicist
I only spoke to Teller once and although I didn't agree with many of his political views I admired his sharp intellect. He was someone who polarized people, which showes that he was a strong character.
Good to hear from you Werner. How's the after life?
alrite genius
@@ilikethisnamebetter He's uncertain
Yo mr White!
To add Christopher Hitchens said something along the lines of "never trust anyone that everyone likes" refering to the way Bill Clinton manipulated people.
I think Dyson's right when you see or hear a brillant idea from some one you are a kind of follower of that person !--I hear Dyson say Time and Gravity vary as Time go's on Gravity is less as Time go on and I Say I know this is what I know to be true and I like Dyson cause this is genius I'm a follower !
Interesting how he comes across as a tantrum thrower in the movie Oppenheimer as well
Because that was actually what the real Teller was like, and Benny Safdie played him well. In fact, I'm rooting for a spinoff biopic of Teller by Nolan, with Safdie reprising his role!
Edward Teller was a brilliant man who produced good ideas even well into old age, but apparently he needed to be surrounded with more level-headed sensible people who would moderate his sometimes wild creativity, if you wanted to manage him properly.
Why is this interview split up in so many parts?
Perhaps bearing the same number of syllables in their fist and last names predisposed them to love each other so.
Was Sheldon patterned after Teller?
That’s what happens when you are lacking a foot!!
Interesting
You can be a brat when you have the ideas
Teller broke from the pack on the question of pursuing the H-bomb, and I wonder whether his peers ever fully forgave him for that.
No fair! Hmmphh!
Imagine the emotional intelligence to understand a tantrum.
No wonder he built that H-bomb.
You could hear the disappointment in the interviewers voice when Freeman said:”we could tolerate Teller’s politics”…
Teller was such a bastard, loving America and hating the Soviets like he did.
Teller was right to testify against Oppenheimer.
No he wasn't, teller was a backstabbing Judas... All teller saw in Oppenheimer was someone who would get in his way for achieving the super...
So when he says politics… what are we talking here?
Many scientists despised Teller after he testified against Oppenheimer. Some people believe he was right to do so anyway.
My favorite memory of Edward Teller was when he leapt up from his wheelchair, exclaiming “Mein Führer, I can valk!”
LOL!!
I had the honor and privilege of meeting Dr. Edward Teller one time, way back around fall 1986. You cannot help but notice his nice Hungarian accent, and his majestic personality. He knew how greatly World War II changed human history with the dawn of the atomic age! He understood that good and evil exist in this world. He realized how important that science be used for good in the world and also a deterrence against evil. Dr. Teller realized the potential of those like Machio Kaku, who also realizes that those countries that value science and technology thrive, whilst those that do not, suffer. The contrast between South Korea and North Korea is a clear example of that! North Korea wastes all their resources on military and nuclear missiles at the expense of a good quality of life for their citizens. By contrast, South Korea embraces free market capitalism and wants their citizens to enjoy a good quality of life! At night, you can see the enormous difference between South and North Korea. The South is lighted up at night with a prosperous economy. The North is almost like a dark desolate chasm from the night view of earth satellites.
What does capitalism have to do with science?
@@Jearbearjenkins it prioritises things that actually work.
Regardless of whether he had good or bad reasons, Teller just loved nuclear weapons, even if he had to hide it by arguing they could be used for peaceful purposes. Dyson supported him in this regard in project Orion, which envisioned space ships propelled by fusion explosives. Eventually this project, as well as others which aimed to make artificial lakes and canals with nuclear explosives, were scrapped when the Nuclear Ban Treaty in the Atmosphere, Sea and Space was signed. Interestingly such treaty was promoted by Andrei Sakharaov, who was Teller's Soviet counterpart. Dyson eventually came to the conclusion that Orion wasn't possible with present day's economy, anyway.
Teller was almost as disgusting as Kissinger is, and that's saying a lot...
@@Daniel-ih4zh Actually capitalism creates inefficiencies in the system...that is why corrupt, elite powerful companies get the resources they want not what folks actually need. Capitalism, Socialism, Communism are all OLD dead systems that are incredibly hurtful to progress.
Most planetary societies rely on something similar to a resource based or an even more efficient repository system. They don't allow wastefulness of resources like you have on your planet. We would never allow resources to be allocated for plastic disposable pertipolz and other useless waste like you people have for the sole purpose of making a profit.
So you knew he was a disgusting person but remained happy to work with him. Interesting.
What does this say about you ?
It says that grown ups have to make compromises to get things done.
There are less people with brilliant ideas than there are people with great characteristics.
A nice, decent person would most likely be useless in the research laboratory at the highest and I mean the highest level.
I said most likely because most decent, nice people aren't geniuses.
Some geniuses can be nice and decent people but it's not the other way around.
If Dyson did not understand what Oppenheimer meant he could have said that to Oppenheimer, and not sit there after many years, complaining and telling the world that there seemed to be something wrong with Oppenheimer. Dyson´s attitude as a whole is arrogant.
Let us remember that this brilliant guy was not a believer in the alarmist narrative about “climate change”.
Let's remember that he didn't study it, admitted that he wasn't an expert, and when he was called on to justify his claims (which actually amounted to doubting the extent and the seriousness of AGW, rather than that it is a fact..), he shut up.
@@ilikethisnamebetter there are a few interviews in which he elaborates. BTW MANY EXPERTS do not agree with the “climate change” agenda! He was not alone! Between you and me, one must be a complete moron to believe that our roughly 5% contribution to a 0.04% CO2 (per volume) trace gas, has the potency to do anything to the climate! Like I said, keep it between you and me.
@@C_R_O_M________ Between you and me - and anyone with any scientific training at all - that 'argument' shows that you are a moron who doesn't understand anything.
@@ilikethisnamebetter whatever you say “genius”! Fuck off!
@@C_R_O_M________ What a brilliant response.
he bombed Dresden to ashes and lectures Teller?
He's just jealous he was'nt smart enough to
figure out the H Bomb.
What a pathetically silly statement.
he beat Teller? The Americans did not give the British the bomb secrets.
Its a sad fact egotistical people don't get far in science.
They had to work it out. You probably were not selected for such duties.
Go away.
Its people like you is why China and Russia laugh at us.
Brain rot?
F.D. Got plenty far in Science. Too bad he is partly wrong about G.W. and can’t see or admit it... he could be a powerful voice for change
Ben, I've read about Teller and watched, listened to him speak on videos, and I don't think Dyson's views are due to feeling envious, as much as picking up on the man's personality. There are a lot of very intelligent people who are also rigid, highly sensitive to slights and not getting their due and way. They can be both genius and difficult people to work with. I suspect Teller was simply one of them. General Leslie Groves with another, highly competent, head strong, the right guy for the job, and also a pain in the ass. People can be both. If anyone was highly sensitive to narcissistic slights, it surely was Teller, and he was an enormous physicist.
Edward Teller says he envisioned the H-bomb to combat the tyranny in Germany/USSR. However, he exhibited all the similar traits of the tyrants he opposed: power hungry, sociopathic, single-minded, world-like view of everything as pawns. Teller is a cautionary tale for all the DNA and AI scientists out there. With knowledge comes great responsibility. History will not be kind to you if you just make the excuse that the technology was inevitable or that someone would have discovered it if not me. You must be part of a community that condemns irresponsible science and think through the consequence of your discoveries. You may not prevent everything, but the approach you take will have a lasting impact.
You could even say that Teller is a cautionary tale to other dangerous scientific research, such as the gain-of-function research championed by certain high-profile and highly protected scientists!