Freeman Dyson on the 'Bethe way': attack hard problems with the most obvious calculation first
CatAstro_Piyush · x · 2026-09-05
Physicist Freeman Dyson recalled the "H. A. Bethe way" of problem-solving: sit down with paper, pen, and slide rule and calculate the problem in the most obvious way.
Crucially, don't be deterred by colleagues insisting the situation is far more complicated — you can always switch to a fancier method later, and the naive approach is astonishingly effective.
The anecdote resonates in AI circles as a pushback against reflexive over-complication.
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