The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
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Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#2Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself.
It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc...
Gifted from birth
Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially
Ahead of peers and mentors
Focused and Driven
Overcame institutional/structural resistance
This is not meant to detract from Oppenheimer's immense contributions, to the contrary. I thought it was something worth keeping in mind as I read the article - especially considering that Oppenheimer himself would spread credit to others and attempt to dismiss the idea that the Manhattan Project was a "One man show."
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#3Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself. It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc... Gifted from birth Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially Ahead of peers and mentors Focused and Driven…
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Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#4Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself. It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc... Gifted from birth Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially Ahead of peers and mentors Focused and Driven…
>dent of genius
Sorry, the pedant in me (well, me) must point out it's "dint."
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#5Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself. It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc... Gifted from birth Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially Ahead of peers and mentors Focused and Driven…
That great discoveries are so often made independently by multiple people when their time has come suggests that if the theory is right, Great Men are a dime a dozen.
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#6Highly recommend the film “Fat Man and Little Boy”. A little melodramatic but an interesting view of Oppenheimer played by Dwight Shultz (Murdock from The A-Team.)
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#7Highly recommend the film “Fat Man and Little Boy”. A little melodramatic but an interesting view of Oppenheimer played by Dwight Shultz (Murdock from The A-Team.)
Obviously also check out the show "Manhattan"
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#8Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself. It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc... Gifted from birth Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially Ahead of peers and mentors Focused and Driven…
That great discoveries are so often made independently by multiple people when their time has come suggests that if the theory is right, Great Men are a dime a dozen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_discovery
I often wonder if the same applies to business. Maybe Jobs, Gates or Bezos didn't make such an outsized contribution but maybe they were able to concentrate on themselves what other people would have done too. Maybe just a little later or differently.
Makes me wonder about Einstein. Were other people working on relativity too?
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#9Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself. It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc... Gifted from birth Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially Ahead of peers and mentors Focused and Driven…
>dent of genius Sorry, the pedant in me (well, me) must point out it's "dint."
Thanks for the edit!
Re: The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)
#10Tangential: If anyone ever struggles to put theory to practice, this is a great example of the "Great Man Theory" promulgating itself. It checks all of the boxes for the "Radical outlier who changes everything by dint of genius and hard work" while barely acknowledging the circumstances, environment, timing etc... Gifted from birth Non-traditional and "Troubled" socially Ahead of peers and mentors Focused and Driven…
There was a task that needed to be accomplished and nobody cared about who or how, just that it get done. Such was the nature of the times. Many men like Oppenheimer rose to greatness as a result. This pattern seems to repeat itself whenever a society finds itself under existential threat. When society needs great men great men rise to the occasion.