John von Neumann Shot Lightning From His Arse
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Pop-hereditarianism is built on selective credulity
The movie Braveheart has a great scene where, by whispers and tales, the legend grows of the Scottish rebellion leader William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson in one of his best roles). First that he killed “50 men,” and then no, “100 men!” and was “seven feet tall;” he even, as Gibson jokes, shoots “fireballs from his eyes” and “bolts of lightning from his arse.” And that’s what I think of when I hear the legends of John von Neumann. “He could remember every book he’d ever read verbatim!” No, of course he couldn’t. Indeed, as we will see, John von Neumann, despite being (inarguably) a…
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