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Is There a Dark Side to Studying Statistical Mechanics?
- Thread starter DaveE
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AI Thread Summary
David Goodstein's "States of Matter" is recognized for its valuable insights beyond just the introduction. The discussion highlights the tragic reality that several practitioners of statistical mechanics, including Paul Drude, have taken their own lives. This raises concerns about the mental health challenges faced within the field, suggesting that the terminology used, such as "Festkörperphysik," may not adequately reflect the complexities and pressures associated with the discipline.
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Vanadium 50
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This is from David Goodstein's States of Matter, which is highly regarded - and not just for the introduction.
You can add Paul Drude to the list of practitioners of statistical mechanics who committed suicide.
You can add Paul Drude to the list of practitioners of statistical mechanics who committed suicide.
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Looks as if you shouldn't call it "Festkörperphysik" if you're doing it.Vanadium 50 said:
Just ONCE, I wanted to see a post titled Status Update that was not a blatant, annoying spam post by a new member. So here it is.
Today was a good day here in Northern Wisconsin. Fall colors are here, no mosquitos, no deer flies, and mild temperature, so my morning run was unusually nice. Only two meetings today, and both went well. The deer that was road killed just down the road two weeks ago is now fully decomposed, so no more smell. Somebody has a spike buck skull for their...
https://abcnews.go.com/International/jane-goodall-famed-primatologist-anthropologist-conservationist-dead-91/story?id=109868347
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/459238450/jane-goodall-primatologist-dead-91
https://whyy.org/articles/jane-goodall-died-chimpanzee-research-environomental-advocacy/
https://freshairarchive.org/guests/jane-goodall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Smoot
https://physics.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/george-smoot-iii
https://apc.u-paris.fr/fr/memory-george-fitzgerald-smoot-iii
https://elements.lbl.gov/news/honoring-the-legacy-of-george-smoot/
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2006/smoot/facts/
https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200611/nobel.cfm
https://inspirehep.net/authors/988263
Structure in the COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer First-Year Maps (Astrophysical Journal...
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