My dad was a scientist, engineer, mathematician/physicist etc. From knowing him/his friends, I always assumed scientists were explorers primarily and not always experts among those who explore in the same areas. To me, "Leading Scientists Say" is meaningless in most cases when taken as the end all of arguments if there are competing theories. My dad used to say, "Experts are people who know more and more about less and less." Then their vision may become so focused that they miss the important things connected. I admire scientists who seek the truth. Those who work for the pay off of promoting agendas, NOT SO MUCH!
EXCERPTS:
In a science career that has spanned more than 60 years, Freeman Dyson has worked alongside some of the greatest minds in theoretical physics, including Albert Einstein, Edward Teller, Hans Bethe, and Richard Feynman.
Of course, Dyson, 90, is himself a mathematical physicist of almost legendary status. He made his name with a brilliant 1948 paper on quantum electrodynamics and went on to do pioneering work in a dizzying array of disciplines, including astronomy, spaceflight, and nuclear engineering.
Freeman Dyson in his office at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
In recent years Dyson has come under fire for his contrarian views on climate change. He's been labeled a heretic--and worse. Yet he sees an important role for scientists who hold views that are unpopular or out of the mainstream. (NOTICE HOW HUFF PO FRAMED HIM AS IF THEY ARE THE EXPERTS TO MAKE THAT CALL)
The whole point of science is that most of it is uncertain. That's why science is exciting--because we don't know. Science is all about things we don't understand. The public, of course, imagines science is just a set of facts. But it's not. Science is a process of exploring, which is always partial. We explore, and we find out things that we understand. We find out things we thought we understood were wrong. That's how it makes progress.
READ MORE LISTEN TO INTERVIEW -> http://www.huffingtonpost...
