Will Wilkinson on his Will Happer biography: “Standing Up for Science” #428

Will Wilkinson discusses a biography he was hired to write about Princeton physicist William Happer, combining four chapters of life story with a climate-focused second half arguing science has been politicized. He describes Happer’s decades-long career, including inventing the sodium laser guide star for missile defense and work adapted for medical lung imaging, plus Happer’s “trust and verify” approach and skepticism of models over measurements. They cover Happer’s CO2 Coalition role, controversy at Princeton, colleagues’ contributions (e.g., Lindzen, Koonin, Ridd), and comparisons to Lysenkoism and past scientific dissent. The author stresses curiosity, civil communication, and avoiding fear-driven climate hysteria.00:00 Meet Will Wilkinson00:27 Writing Happer Biography01:45 Happer Science Legacy02:42 Climate Views Adaptation03:29 Laser Guide Star Explained05:12 Trust and Verify Mindset06:04 Princeton Controversy07:14 Famous Colleagues Stories09:18 Childhood and Formation10:58 Standing Up for Science13:28 Lysenkoism and Dogma16:38 Outsiders and Discovery21:15 Curiosity and Measuring23:25 CO2 Politics and Money24:45 Book Release and Coalition25:43 Rogan Episode and Outreach27:07 Documentary and Prior Bio28:33 Reluctant Scientist Profile30:10 Working Life at Princeton31:05 Red Team Blue Team Fallout32:01 Middle Ground Climate Debate34:46 Colleagues and Reef Controversy37:29 Skepticism After COVID41:38 Single Source of Truth Quotes44:24 Kindness Over Division48:41 Hope Against Climate Hysteria50:23 Meaningful Memoirs and AI54:04 Wrap Up and ThanksWill Wilkinson’s web site: https://www.meaningfulmemoirs.com/=========Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summariesMy Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1