Peter Putnam and his theory of the mind.
Wow. Fascinating article by Amanda Gefter, weaving together so many aspects of this man's thinking and his difficult life, cursed and blessed at the same time.
And Putnam's idea that learning and innovation emerge from a system whose components all have the goal of repetition and no-change is truly interesting.
Good Will Hunting in reverse: the real-life story of Peter Putnam, promising physicist turned janitor.
HT @cdarwin
https://nautil.us/finding-peter-putnam-1218035/
#PeterPutnam #GoodWillHunting #NautilusMagazine #AmandaGefter #TheoreticalNeuroscience #ScienceMastodon #ScienceStories #JohnArchibaldWheeler #GayHistory #NeuralModels #LongReads #PrincetonUniversity #RobertFuller #HistoryOfPhysics #HistoryOfScience
That was a wonderful story and writing. Thank you for it #AmandaGefter.
‘In 2003, #Wheeler was still chasing the meaning of existence. “I am as far as can be imagined from being able to speak so reasonably about ‘How come existence’!” he wrote in his journal. “Not much time left to find out!”
On April 13, 2008, in Hightstown, N.J., at the age of 96, John Archibald Wheeler finally lost his race against time. That stubbornly persistent illusion.’ ― http://nautil.us/issue/66/clockwork/haunted-by-his-brother-he-revolutionized-physics-rp
the roamer
Matt Hodgkinson
@