Leo Szilard: The Man Behind the Bomb with William Lanouette
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- Опубліковано 7 кві 2014
- (Visit: www.uctv.tv/) The UC San Diego Library Channel presents a talk by William Lanouette, author of “Genius in the Shadows: A Biography of Leo Szilard.” Lanouette explains how Szilard’s fear of German dominance of nuclear research in the 1930’s inspired the Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the atomic bomb used by the United States in World War II. Szilard could see its potential for mass destruction in the wrong hands and became a strong advocate for nuclear arms control and disarmament. Szilard spent his final days as a founding member of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego. [4/2014] [Show ID: 28013]
Szilard is a key figure in world history. Everyone should know who he is.
This is an important piece of history, Szilard was an amazing person. I wish Manhattan projects could be set up to solve the climate/ energy crisis, cure Alzheimer's and cancer or to promote peace
I found this to be one of the most informative and interesting talks I have ever encountered. I also found it to be inspirational, I have since written a 10,000+ word story with the main focus being around Leo Szilard. I found him to be just fascinating. William Lanouette is a great speaker/storyteller. His depth of understanding of his topic is also brimming with respect. A very good video.
Kalepherion
If you share the story that you wrote on Szilard, I would love to read it.
Amazing book. So much insight on a quirky character who moved in so many worlds, including dangers that others did not see.
For the question at 46:15, regarding Szilard's disinclination for doubt...
I think Szilard might ( seemingly to others ) have had a disinclination for doubt because he has already done the hard work of doubting his first instincts, looking at the issue from various directions, considering other viewpoints fairly seriously and then coming to a conclusion.
A conclusion arrived in this way cannot be shaken easily, and might even give an impression to others that he is too sure of himself - disinclined to doubt. He might have tried to convince others that he has the correct conclusion because he has thought through the obvious alternatives, but the message is often not easily transferred. His peers often said that some of the ideas that Szilard proposed only became clear or convincing to them after hours of contemplation.
If that was his usual behaviour, I have no doubt that people would come to perceive him as being too sure of himself. However, I also bet that if someone can come up with a genuinely ingenious alternative that Szilard has not thought through, Szilard would definitely give it a fair chance.
Einstein, his lifelong friend, was just such a person in Szilard's life... someone who could debate and offer alternative approaches that held sufficient merit to discuss.
He was kicked out of the University of Chicago dorm because he wouldn’t flush the toilet. He said it was “maid’s work”
Ukraine comes up late in the talk in 2014.
William Lanouette is talking utter crap on the refrigerator design. The refrigerator was based on a hydrogen and ammonia mix and used heat to drive the working fluid through the system. That's the commerical Electrolux design which has no moving parts (it is not very efficient because of the heat injection ) . This business about liquid metals for a refrigerator is so much crap... Clearly nothing he is saying has been audited by cautious individuals.
Jewish