Physicist Who Coined the term 'Black Hole' dead at 96

[JoeXIII'007]

Dr. John A. Wheeler

A very impressive article from The New York Times is something worth reading.

Particularly interesting quote:

Originally Posted by NYT

“If there’s one thing in physics I feel more responsible for than any other, it’s this perception of how everything fits together,” he said. “I like to think of myself as having a sense of judgment. I’m willing to go anywhere, talk to anybody, ask any question that will make headway.


“I confess to being an optimist about things, especially about someday being able to understand how things are put together. So many young people are forced to specialize in one line or another that a young person can’t afford to try and cover this waterfront — only an old fogy who can afford to make a fool of himself.


“If I don’t, who will?”

[DonRotolo]

It is a shame. Here's a guy who hung around with Bohr, Oppenheimer, and Heisenberg, and argued physics with Einstein. If that's not a definition of Giant, what is?

His quote at the end is all too accurate: Today, one is nerarly forced to know more and more about a smaller and smaller area of a subject*, precluding a generalist's wider view. It takes a bold person to declare themselves a generalist today, especially in academia.

Don

*Until you know everything about nothing, goes the old saw.


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