
Freeman Dyson talks about math, nuclear rockets, and the universe - okket
http://nordic.businessinsider.com/freeman-dyson-interview-2016-9
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andrewl
I had read before that Dyson was not big on the higher education system. This
was interesting, about his time at the Institute for Advanced Study in
Princeton:

 _Well, I think it actually is very destructive. I 'm now retired, but when I
was a professor here, my real job was to be a psychiatric nurse. There were
all these young people who came to the institute, and my job was to be there
so they could cry on my shoulder and tell me what a hard time they were
having. And it was a very tough situation for these young people. They come
here. They have one or two years and they're supposed to do something
brilliant. They're under terrible pressure--not from us, but from them._

 _So, actually, I 've had three of them who I would say were just casualties
who I'm responsible for. One of them killed himself, and two of them ended up
in mental institutions. And I should've been able to take care of them, but I
didn't. I blame the Ph.D. system for these tragedies. And it really does
destroy people. If they weren't under that kind of pressure, they could all
have been happy people doing useful stuff. Anyhow, so that's my diatribe. But
I really have seen that happen._

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bwang29
What most struck me is his comment on Chinese's brain washing media landscape
actually helps the country to stay upbeat and optimistic. There is definitely
truths in it and at this point I can see it as a grand strategy to help the
economy in a positive way. Maybe any country in the unique situation as China
will tend to the exact same thing.

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M_Grey
I think it's one of those situations that is only going to be clear in some
measure of hindsight. After all, any short-term benefit might be offset by the
backlash when the media either evolves, or people (as they are now) gain
access to foreign media sources. It seems to me that you'd utterly erode any
sense of authority or trust you could build with your populace.

Shortsighted in other words, but what you'd expect from a gerontocracy.

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bwang29
I spent a couple of years in Beijjg. I think most Chinese people in major
cities are fully aware of the brainwashing goal and agendas of the media and
would even consider CCTV1 to be funny. Young people create memes and satires
on news content all the time. The thing is, CCTV1 has quite literally evolved
into its own genre and it is therapeutic to listen to when you feel
unsatisfied with your life.

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M_Grey
That's an interesting take on the situation, and I appreciate the insight with
someone with experience in China (I have none at all).

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riledhel
I really liked the following quote, I certainly needed his upbeat mood and
view of the future.

 _" The key to having an interesting life is to always say "yes" to anything
crazy. Orion was obviously crazy. So I said "yes" and had a great time."_

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nojvek
He put it very well. I'm a big believer of doing crazy things that the average
joe wouldn't do.

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thret
"mathematics is really an art, not a science. You could say science also is an
art. So I would say the difference is something you can't really describe -
you can only recognize."

This reminds me of the slippery definition of Quality explored in Zen & The
Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance.

