Over the years I’ve often referenced Richard P Feynman
(1918-88) on social media as an example of true scholarship. Here I’ve
collected together some famous quotes alongside key resource material.
He was a theoretical physicist who won a Nobel prize -
but that was probably the least interesting thing about him. He had a
reputation as a great teacher and thinker despite writing almost nothing - the
many books about him have been compiled by others. Since his death his
reputation has continued to grow, and since the beginning of the Web an ever
increasing amount of information about him has become available. Google him.
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A few quotes about acquiring knowledge, later some
about aspects of teaching and learning.
‘…I have a friend who's an artist
and he's sometimes taken a view
which I don't agree with very well. He'll hold up a flower and say, "Look how beautiful it is," and I'll agree, I think. And he says - "you see, I as an artist
can see how beautiful this is, but
you as a scientist, oh, take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing." And I think that he's kind of nutty.
First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me, too, I believe, although I might
not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is; but I can appreciate the
beauty of a flower. At the same time I see
much more about the flower than he sees. I can imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside which also have a
beauty. I mean it's not just beauty at this dimension of one centimeter, there is
also beauty at a smaller dimension, the inner structure. Also the processes, the fact that the colors in the
flower evolved in order to attract
insects to pollinate it is interesting
- it means that insects can see the
color. It adds a question: Does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower
forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which shows
that a science knowledge only adds to the excitement and
mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds; I don't understand
how it subtracts…’ (Feynman 1999c:2)
‘In general we look for a new law
by the following process. First we guess it. Then we compute the consequences
of the guess to see what would be implied if this law that we guessed is right.
Then we compare the result of the computation to nature, with experiment or
experience, compare it directly with observation, to see if it works. If it
disagrees with experiment it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to
science. It does not make any difference how beautiful your guess is. It
doesn’t make any difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his
name is - if it disagrees with experiment it is wrong. That is all there is to
it.’ (Feynman 1965:156)
‘…If you expected science to give all the answers to
the wonderful questions
about what we are, where we're going, what the meaning of the universe is
and so on, then I think you could easily become disillusioned. …I can live with doubt
and uncertainty and not
knowing. …I have approximate answers and possible
beliefs and different degrees
of certainty about different things…but I
don't have to know an answer, I don't feel
frightened by not knowing.’ (Feynman 1999c:24-25)
Key themes from his life and work were; living
with uncertainty (as in the above quote), theory
and practice as repeating aspects of the same process (the second
quote), reasoning from first principles (safecracking at Los Alamos, first
photo), the pleasure of finding things out (see below), active
irresponsibility (the second quote below and the second photo from the Challenger disaster
investigation), finally nobody knows how to teach (last quote).
‘…I don’t like honors. I appreciate
it for the work that I did, and for people who appreciate it, and I know
there's a lot of physicists who use my work, I don't need anything else, I
don't think there's any sense to anything
else. …I’ve already got the prize. The prize is the pleasure of finding the thing
out, the kick in the discovery, the observation that other people use it - those are the
real things…’ (Feynman 1999c:12)
‘To
do high, real good physics work you need absolutely solid lengths of time, …it
needs lots of concentration - that is solid time to think - and if you’ve got a
job in administration anything like that, then you don’t have the solid time.
So I have invented another myth for myself - that I’m irresponsible. I tell
everybody, I don’t do anything. If anybody asks me to be on a committee to take
care of admissions, no, I‘m irresponsible, I don‘t give a damn about the
students - of course I give a damn about the students but I know that somebody
else’ll do it - and I take the view, “Let George do it,” …I do that because I
like to do physics and I want to see if I can still do it, and so I’m selfish,
okay?’ (p.19-20)
‘All
those students …how should I best teach them? Should I teach them from the
point of view of the history of science, from the applications? My theory is
that the best way to teach is to have no philosophy, is to be chaotic and
confuse it in the sense that you use every possible way of doing it. That’s the
only way I can see to answer, so as to catch this guy or that guy on different
hooks as you go along…’ (p.20)
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| (photo by Nick Hewling) |
References and Resources
Feynman, R.P (1985) ‘Surely You’re Joking Mr.
Feynman!’ Adventures Of A Curious Character Vintage: London (Stories
originally told to, and recorded by Ralph Leighton, including the safecracking
story.)
Feynman, R.P (1990) QED: The Strange Theory Of
Light And Matter Penguin: London (Transcribed introductory lectures on
particle physics given in 1982.)
Feynman, R. P (1992) ‘What Do You Care What Other
People Think?’ Further Adventures Of A Curious Character Grafton: London
(Stories originally told to, and recorded by Ralph Leighton.)
Feynman, R.P (1994) The Character Of Physical Law
Penguin: London (Based on introductory physics lectures recorded by the BBC in
1965. Some short extracts on YouTube.)
Feynman, R.P (1998) Six Easy Pieces: The
Fundamentals Of Physics Explained Penguin:
London (Basic readings taken from The Feynman Lectures on Physics delivered
to Caltech undergraduates in 1961/2 and 1962/3, only later worked-up into books
using student’s notes!)
Feynman, R,P (1999a) Six Not-So-Easy Pieces:
Einstein’s Relativity, Symmetry, and Space-Time Penguin: London (More
involved readings from The Feynman Lectures on Physics delivered to Caltech
undergraduates in 1961/2 and 1962/3, only later worked-up into books using
student’s notes!)
Feynman, R, P (1999b) The Meaning of It All Penguin:
London (transcriptions of lectures on science in general.)
Feynman, R.P (1999c) The Pleasure Of Finding Things
Out Penguin: London (Based on interview for BBC Horizon in 1981)
Feynman, R.P (2006) Don’t you have time to think?
Penguin: London (Letters edited by his daughter Michelle.)
Gleick, J (1994) Genius: Richard Feynman and modern
physics Abacus: London (Biography)
Leighton, R (1993) Tuva or Bust! Richard Feynman’s
Last Journey Penguin: London
Online:
‘Richard Feynman’ Wikipedia page (note the External Links available, and when the
page was last modified!)
Feynman Online! Website dedicated to his memory
The Fantastic Mr Feynman (TV documentary using material from The Pleasure of
Finding Things Out plus interviews with other key figures)
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| Who'd have thought? (2.9.2019) |
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