Freeman Dyson at the AMS Einstein Public Lecture in Mathematics (October 2008) on “Birds and Frogs“:
“Birds fly high in the air and survey broad vistas of mathematics out to the far horizon. They delight in concepts that unify our thinking and bring together diverse problems from different parts of the landscape. Frogs live in the mud below and see only the flowers that grow nearby. They delight in the details of particular objects, and they solve problems one at a time.”
Birds can walk in the mud at their OWN wish, but ALAS frogs can’t fly even if they want ! Where are the 21st century Birds who have the “Vision + Courage” to guide us, statisticians, and save us from the brink of extinction?
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