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

<p>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.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Meet Will Wilkinson</p><p>00:27 Writing Happer Biography</p><p>01:45 Happer Science Legacy</p><p>02:42 Climate Views Adaptation</p><p>03:29 Laser Guide Star Explained</p><p>05:12 Trust and Verify Mindset</p><p>06:04 Princeton Controversy</p><p>07:14 Famous Colleagues Stories</p><p>09:18 Childhood and Formation</p><p>10:58 Standing Up for Science</p><p>13:28 Lysenkoism and Dogma</p><p>16:38 Outsiders and Discovery</p><p>21:15 Curiosity and Measuring</p><p>23:25 CO2 Politics and Money</p><p>24:45 Book Release and Coalition</p><p>25:43 Rogan Episode and Outreach</p><p>27:07 Documentary and Prior Bio</p><p>28:33 Reluctant Scientist Profile</p><p>30:10 Working Life at Princeton</p><p>31:05 Red Team Blue Team Fallout</p><p>32:01 Middle Ground Climate Debate</p><p>34:46 Colleagues and Reef Controversy</p><p>37:29 Skepticism After COVID</p><p>41:38 Single Source of Truth Quotes</p><p>44:24 Kindness Over Division</p><p>48:41 Hope Against Climate Hysteria</p><p>50:23 Meaningful Memoirs and AI</p><p>54:04 Wrap Up and Thanks</p><p><br></p><p>Will Wilkinson’s web site: <a href="https://www.meaningfulmemoirs.com/">https://www.meaningfulmemoirs.com/</a></p><p>=========</p><p>Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: <a href="https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries">https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries</a></p><p>My Linktree: <a href="https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1">https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1</a></p>