"Dyson opens the window into his world of the most extraordinary people — those scientists, physicists and mathematicians in particular — who plunge into the darkest and deepest mysteries of matter and life as rebels to unlock their secrets." —Winnipeg Sun
"A collection of essays and speeches by the British physicist. Fred Bortz said the book's readers 'will be stimulated, challenged, entertained and enlightened by topics as varied as science, politics and the arms race.'" —Seattle Times
“Essays from the iconoclastic physicist who has become one of science’s most eloquent interpreters.” –The New York Times, Editor’s Choice
Starred Review. “An eclectic but deeply satisfying collection, Dyson, a prize-winning physicist and prolific author (Weapons and Hope), presents 33 previously published book reviews, essays and speeches (15 from the New York Review of Books). Dyson expresses his precise thinking in prose of crystal clarity, and readers will be absolutely enthralled by his breadth, his almost uncanny ability to tie diverse topics together and his many provocative statements…Virtually every chapter deserves to be savored.” –Publishers Weekly
"Physicist and futurist Dyson embodies the ideal of the scientist as iconoclast. In this spirited collection, he muses on the ethics of nanotech and genetic engineering, the crucial role of amateurs in science, and the richness of ‘nature's imagination.’ Provocative, touching, and always surprising." –Steve Silberman, Wired Magazine
"Dyson is a clear and compelling writer, gifts highlighted in this collection of 33 previously published, and frequently updated essays and reviews. Organized into sections on contemporary issues in science, war and peace, history of science and scientists, and personal and philosophical ruminations, these works demonstrate Dyson’s far-ranging interests and skill in writing for educated and curious generalists, qualities that ensure this volume’s wide appeal. Some readers may feel a thrill reading Dyson’s comments on military strategy; others may prefer Dyson’s thoughts on such physics-related people and issues as Isaac Newton, Edward Teller, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, Norbert Wiener, and string theory. But whatever a reader’s passion, Dyson’s emphasis on rebels within science rather than upholders of the status quo makes the book especially satisfying."-Booklist
"Readers should view The Scientist as Rebel as a science project of their own. Dyson asks his audience not for agreement but only for their active engagement with his original and provocative notions. Their questions need not be his questions, and they may dispute his conclusions. But they will be stimulated, challenged, entertained and enlightened about topics as varied as science, politics and the arms race. They will discover unique perspectives on religion, global warming, and even the paranormal...readers will have no difficulty recognizing rebellion of the most valuable kind in this enlightening collection and will eagerly engage with it." –The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Dyson offers a lovely collection of essays from his writing for The New York Review of Books. Part 1 and 3 focus on scientists and rebels, while parts 2 and 4 are a reminder that science could be more rebellious and radical than it is. The 29 individual chapters are organized into four categories: contemporary issues, war and peace, history of science, and personal reflections...Recommended.” —Choice
“One of the world’s most original minds.” –Times (London)
It’s debatable whether anyone’s book reviews — even those as thoughtfully discursive as Dyson’s — belong embalmed between covers, but The Scientist as Rebel can be perused for a sampling of his iconoclastic takes on a science that sometimes seems to be turning into an establishment of its own. So much has been written about the grand quest to unite quantum mechanics and general relativity into a theory of everything — “to reduce physics,” as Dyson puts it, “to a finite set of marks on paper” — that it’s bracing to consider his minority view: that the existence of a compact set of almighty equations may be a dogma in itself.
— The New York Times
In an eclectic but deeply satisfying collection, Dyson, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and prolific author (Weapons and Hope), presents 33 previously published book reviews, essays and speeches (15 from the New York Review of Books). Dyson expresses his precise thinking in prose of crystal clarity, and readers will be absolutely enthralled by his breadth, his almost uncanny ability to tie diverse topics together and his many provocative statements. In the title essay, Dyson writes, "Science is an alliance of free spirits in all cultures rebelling against" the tyranny of their local cultures. In a 2006 review of Daniel Dennett's book, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, Dyson, himself a man of faith, takes issue with Dennett's quoting of physicist Stephen Weinberg that "for good people to do bad things-that takes religion." The converse is also true, says Dyson: "for bad people to do good things-that takes religion." Three of the best chapters (reprinted from Weapons and Hope) deal with the politics of the cold war. And his writings on Einstein, Teller, Newton, Oppenheimer, Norbert Wiener and Feynman will amuse while presenting deep insights into the nature of science and humanity. Virtually every chapter deserves to be savored. (Dec.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Now in his eighties, with a long and venerable career that includes a Nobel prize in physics, Dyson (physics, emeritus, Inst. for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ) is a patriarch of contemporary American science. His collected essays and popular science books (e.g., Disturbing the Universe) have been very influential in this genre. At first glance, this new collection of reviews and essays, most published in the New York Review of Books, would seem a contrived addition to his corpus. However, it is through his reviews socioscientific commentaries, really that Dyson explores a broad context of science that will remind readers familiar with his writings of his brilliance, iconoclasm, and expansiveness of mind. The 33 essays are organized into four topical categories: "Contemporary Issues in Science," "War and Peace," "History of Science and Scientists," and "Personal and Philosophical." Perhaps the most prevalent theme is that science and humanism go hand in hand and that consequently the studies of art, science, religion, politics, and more are inextricably intertwined. Though somewhat patchwork, this collection does represent Dyson's evolving thoughts and, despite a few quibbles about consistency of scope and redundancies in relation to previous works, it is a good read that should be popular with fans of this genre. Suitable for general readers in public and undergraduate libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/06.] Gregg Sapp, Science Lib., SUNY at Albany Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
British-born polymath physicist Dyson (The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet, 1999, etc.) addresses the most controversial issues of the day with a sharp mind unblunted by time. Most of these previously published essays originally appeared in the New York Review of Books. Dyson enriches them with insightful personal recollections from a score of notables. He remarks on Edward Teller's extraordinary kindness to students, describes what it was like to be Richard Feynman's student and in a particularly moving essay portrays Robert Oppenheimer as a genius whose flaw was restlessness. Among the recurring topics: why Albert Einstein was a "revolutionary" but Jules Henri Poincare was a conservative; the question of whether science is driven more by tools or ideas; why science is inexhaustible. The book's four sections-"Contemporary Issues in Science," "War and Peace," "History of Science and Scientists," "Personal and Philosophical"-contain information about the author's life, and the general tone is optimistic. He believes that biological engineering will inevitably be enlisted to enhance species or even create new ones (microbes that clean up pollution, for example) and that humans will colonize space. Himself an agnostic, Dyson sees a place for religion in society and even supposes that there may be something in the paranormal. Studded with wondrous gems-and just enough provocation to stimulate debate.
