Bilim Akademisi, Science Academy Turkey Honorary Member Philip W. Anderson, Nobel Prize Laureate 1977, Joseph Henry Professor of Physics Emeritus at Princeton University, passed away on Sunday March 29 at age 96. A condensed matter theorist, Anderson was a giant of 20th Century physics who shaped the development of condensed matter physics indeed of the whole of physics with his seminal insights based on a deep and broadly comparative grasp of fundamental experimental results and analogues from all areas of physics. He was also a very influential proponent of the concept of emergence, central to the philosophical outlook of contemporary science, which he succinctly expressed in his influential essay “More is Different”.
Phil was my PhD advisor. While it usually was difficult and took a while for us students to follow his deep ideas, he was always there, as a warm and supportive mentor for his students.
Sensitive and proactive on academic freedom and freedom of expression throughout his life, Phil Anderson was a concerned supporter of Bilim Akademisi ( Science Academy, Turkey).
We miss him.
M. Ali Alpar
To read the Princeton University obituary please click.