Edge Foundation

    The Edge Foundation was founded to keep track of interesting intellectual developments in the sciences and elsewhere. Their contention is that traditional institutions don't do a very good job of disseminating new and interesting ideas and they work hard to fill this need. Periodically they ask a group of experts to say what they are optimistic about or what they've changed their minds about recently.

    In the most recent version of "What is something you changed your mind about recently" Freeman Dyson says the argument I make in "The Winning Weapon? Rethinking Nuclear Weapons in Light of Hiroshima" about Hiroshima changed his mind. This is pretty impressive, as Dyson knew Robert Butow, the man who wrote the most authoritative study of Japan's decision to surrender.  Take a look.  (It's also impressive on Dyson's part,  because even though he's 85 years old, he's still intellectually flexible enough to change his mind about something of importance. A rare quality.)