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Comment on Paul Dirac: The unsung geniusparent

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I don't get why geniuses need to be sung as if it's a popularity contest. It's virtually impossible to do information theory without stumbling on Shannon's theorems just like it's not possible to do physics without Dirac. Those who need to know, do know.

They need to be sung because they can motivate people like me who read their stories in isolation and proceed to cultivate an interest in science. The sung heroes shape the tide of the collective imagination.

There is no need for affectations of wisdom; in an economy of attention, merit just as popularity is a component in the vector of notability. Seeking to not acknowledge these things in the name of purity only polarizes and does no one any good.

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