Michael Freedman is a mathematician who was awarded the Fields Medal in 1986 for his solution of the 4-dimensional Poincare conjecture. Mike has also received numerous other awards for his scientific contributions including a MacArthur Fellowship and the National Medal of Science. In 1997, Mike joined Microsoft Research and in 2005 became the director of Station Q, Microsoft’s quantum computing research lab. As of 2023, Mike is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Mathematics and Scientific Applications at Harvard University.

Patreon (bonus materials + video chat): https://www.patreon.com/timothynguyen

In this wide-ranging conversation, we give a panoramic view of Mike’s extensive body of work over the span of his career. It is divided into three parts: early, middle, and present day, which respectively include his work on the 4-dimensional Poincare conjecture, his transition to topological physics, and finally his recent work in applying ideas from mathematics and philosophy to social economics. Our conversation is a blend of both the nitty-gritty details and the anecdotal story-telling that can only be obtained from a living legend.

I. Introduction

• 00:00 : Preview

II. Early Mike: The Poincare Conjecture (PC)

• 08:14 : Introduction, statement, and history

II. Mid Mike: Topological Quantum Field Theory (TQFT) and Quantum Computing (QC)

• 1:10:54: Introduction

III. Present Mike: Social Economics

• 2:11:08 : Introduction

IV: Outro

• 2:46:20 : Final thoughts on math, science, philosophy

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