I Almost Wrote A Critical Email to Freeman Dyson, the Great Physicist, Just Before He Died in his 90s
Freeman Dyson was a world-renowned astrophysicist, with the imagination of a first-rate science fiction writer. Just as important, he was a gentleman.
He was, perhaps, most famous for the concept of “Dyson Spheres” which are hypothetical casings by extraterrestrial civilizations constructed around their own suns — to capture and harness huge amounts of energy. He also wrote several books with collections of essays. I own two. One is autographed.
Dyson was undeniably brilliant.
But he said something that irritated me. He believed that the climate crisis wasn’t real. He thought that climate scientists made a mistake. He believed that this would be a costly mistake, which might lead people to enact foolish policies and behaviors that would do more harm than good.
Dyson did not believe that climate crisis was a fraud. He trusted that scientists were sincere and smart. He just believed they were mistaken. He thought that they were lead astray by their personal ideologies and that the data didn’t support their conclusions.
For me, the climate crisis is an existential problem and the most significant issue we, as a species, face. And it’s coming down full force right now. Immediate and extreme action is necessary.
I was thinking about writing to Freeman Dyson. I began drafting a letter. To let him know that I feel strongly that he must be wrong. That 15,000 climate scientists had been studying the problem intently for decades, with peer reviewed studies, and that their conclusions were more trustworthy than those of a brilliant astrophysicist who, after all, was evaluating studies outside his area of expertise.
But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t criticize Freeman Dyson. Not because I believed he was right but because I believed he was good. Intent matters. I’m pretty sure that Dyson was wrong because of HIS ideological leanings. But he was a good man, with a good heart, and genuinely benevolent intentions. And he was smart — not a fool.
The situation made me uncomfortable until I realized that nobody is perfect and we all should oppose ideas we believe are wrong. But that’s different from hating everyone who holds those wrong ideas. So, I never wrote the letter. And if I had, it would have been a fan letter, because to me a person’s character is more important than his ideas.
Freeman Dyson died a few months later. He was in his 90s. I can’t write to him now. Instead, I’m writing this for you.
