Matthew Putman: Don’t Be Intimidated To Jump Into The Future

Matthew Putman is the most eclectic guest I have had on Singularity 1 on 1. Matthew is a PhD in applied mathematics and engineering, Professor at Columbia University, a Thiel fellowship mentor, entrepreneur, poet, jazz pianist, inventor holding patents in nano-imaging, film and theater producer and a cancer survivor. After spending over an hour talking to Putman I feel confident in saying that he is indeed an eclectic genius extraordinaire who is not afraid to embrace his humanity and follow his passions. So, while some of his friends have noted that Matthew’s eclecticism is “not the best route to target a Nobel prize”, they acknowledge that Putman is a lot of fun to be around. I can attest to the latter myself because I enjoyed very much having him on my show and am looking forward to our first face-to-face conversation. During my interview with Matthew Putman we cover a variety of topics such as: why he considers himself to be a producer, first and foremost; the contradiction between being a Thiel mentor and a Columbia University Professor; the present and future of education; the importance of experimentation; his work in polymers and semiconductors; nanotechnology and Nanotronics Imaging; Henry Markram’s Human Brain Project and other such initiatives; his fear of death and his personal struggle with cancer; his take on immortality and the technological singularity; determinism and free will.