{"product_id":"well-doc-youre-in-isbn-9780262047340","title":"\"Well, Doc, You're In\"","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe life and work of Freeman Dyson—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—and his particular way of thinking about deep questions.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFreeman Dyson (1923–2020)—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—helped invent modern physics. Not bound by disciplinary divisions, he went on to explore foundational topics in mathematics, astrophysics, and the origin of life. General readers were introduced to Dyson’s roving mind and heterodox approach in his 1979 book \u003ci\u003eDisturbing the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e, a poignant autobiographical reflection on life and science. \u003ci\u003e“Well, Doc, You’re In”\u003c\/i\u003e (the title quotes Richard Feynman’s remark to Dyson at a physics conference) offers a fresh examination of Dyson’s life and work, exploring his particular way of thinking about deep questions that range from the nature of matter to the ultimate fate of the universe.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe chapters—written by leading scientists, historians, and science journalists, including some of Dyson’s colleagues—trace Dyson’s formative years, his budding interests and curiosities, and his wide-ranging work across the natural sciences, technology, and public policy. They describe Dyson’s innovations at the intersection of quantum theory and relativity, his novel nuclear reactor design (and his never-realized idea of a spacecraft powered by nuclear weapons), his years at the Institute for Advanced Study, and his foray into cosmology. In the coda, Dyson’s daughter Esther reflects on growing up in the Dyson household. \u003ci\u003e“Well, Doc, You’re In”\u003c\/i\u003e assesses Dyson’s successes, blind spots, and influence, assembling a portrait of a scientist’s outsized legacy.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eContributors\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy Bernstein, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Esther Dyson, George Dyson, Ann Finkbeiner, Amanda Gefter, Ashutosh Jogalekar, David Kaiser, Caleb Scharf, William ThomasIntroduction 1\u003cbr\u003eDavid Kaiser\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1 The Secret Club of Heretics and Rebels 21\u003cbr\u003eAmanda Gefter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2 Calculation and Reckoning: Navigating Science, War, and Guilt 47\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Thomas\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3 The First Apprentice 71\u003cbr\u003eDavid Kaiser\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4 A Frog among Birds: Dyson as a Mathematical Physicist 105\u003cbr\u003eRobbert Dijkgraaf\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5 Single Stage to Saturn: Project Orion, 1957-1965 143\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Dyson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e6 Dyson, Warfare, and the Jasons 177\u003cbr\u003eAnn Finkbeiner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7 A Warm Little Pond: Dyson and the Origins of Life 203\u003cbr\u003eAshutosh Jogalekar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8 The Cosmic Seer 233\u003cbr\u003eCaleb Scharf\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e9 A Bouquet of Dyson 257\u003cbr\u003eJeremy Bernstein\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCoda: Not the End 271\u003cbr\u003eEsther Dyson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 279\u003cbr\u003eAbout the Authors 281\u003cbr\u003eIndex 285\"The book forms a colorful collage to give insight into the life of one of the giants of twentieth-century science.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNature Physics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"An appealing collection of tributes.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A thoroughly entertaining and fascinating collection of essays...a genuine read for those interested in the history of science and influential scientists, as Dyson worked with some of the best – and each contributing author paints a vivid picture of an aspect of Dyson’s life.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhysics World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"This remarkable volume not only surveys the staggeringly diverse activities of Freeman Dyson — spanning World War II, the Cold War, and the cosmos — but also what thinking like Dyson must have been like. It's engrossing.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Michael D. Gordin, historian of science, Princeton University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These riveting essays will appeal to initiates as well as newcomers to Dyson’s wide-ranging and playful genius.  His faith in science as a conspiracy of brains against ignorance remains particularly consoling and inspiring today.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Nell Freudenberger, author of \u003ci\u003eLost and Wanted\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A wonderful series of vignettes on Dyson's singular path through the  universe, which left an indelible mark in a  wide range of fields, from quantum electrodynamics to matters of war and peace.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Juan Maldacena, Carl P. Feinberg professor at the Institute for Advanced Study\u003c\/b\u003eDavid Kaiser is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics at MIT. He is the author of several award-winning books on the history of science, including \u003ci\u003eQuantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World\u003c\/i\u003e, and the editor of \u003ci\u003eBecoming MIT: Moments of Decision\u003c\/i\u003e (MIT Press). His work has been featured in \u003ci\u003eScience\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302324130021,"sku":"NP9780262047340","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262047340.jpg?v=1767743772","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/well-doc-youre-in-isbn-9780262047340","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}