The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Helix Books)
by Richard P. Feynman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard P. FeynmanEditor: Jeffrey Robbins
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-04-06
ISBN: 0465023959
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Basic Books
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780465023950
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Helix Books)
Book Review: Vintage Feynman!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another gem of a book which centers on the approach to life & science taken by the great Richard Phillips Feynman. This book details his musings on the philosophy of science, the definition of what science is, the importance of drawing a dichotomy between between authentic science and pseudo-science (what Feynman labels "cargo cult science"), the space shuttle CHALLENGER catastrophe and the relationship between science and other spheres of influence such as psychology and religion.
Reading books by Feynman are always like a breath of fresh air in a world that's full of politically-driven science experiments and the demand for science to be pragmatic at all costs. Feynman's involvement in the investigation of the space shuttle CHALLENGER explosion show his defiance to science being manipulated by politicians and bureaucrats. Two of Feynman's most famous lines are "Nature will not be fooled" and "The first rule is not to fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool." Facts are facts, even when they're inconvenient.
The foreward was written by Princeton's own Freeman J. Dyson. While visiting the Institute for Advanced Study, I had the opportunity of meeting the legendary physicist in person. While professor Dyson was far more interested in the cookie he was holding than he was in me, it was nonetheless a great honor to meet a man who was one of Feynman's best friends. Unfortunately, that is as close as I will ever come to meeting the late Richard P. Feynman.
This is a book that is a must-have for Feynman enthusiasts out there. That said, for people who are not familiar with his work I would recommend the ever popular Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) 1st. SURELY has far more funny anectdotes than the present book.
While Stephen Hawking gets a lot of press these days, I would venture that Feynman had a great many more contributions to the realm of physics than the great Hawking will have. The 20th century had more great physicists than any other century to date; names such as Heisenberg, Schroedinger, Witten, Einstein, Oppenheimer, Fermi, Pauli - the list goes on. Feynman is a name that belongs to this pantheon as well. Read this book & you'll find out why!
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Summary of The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Helix Books)
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman?from interviews and speeches to lectures and printed articles. A sweeping, wide-ranging collection, it presents an intimate and fascinating view of a life in science-a life like no other. From his ruminations on science in our culture to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, this book will fascinate anyone interested in the world of ideas.
Why do we do science? Beyond altruistic and self-aggrandizing motivations, many of our best scientists work long hours seeking the electric thrill that comes only from learning something that nobody knew before. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, a collection of previously unpublished or difficult-to-find short works by maverick physicist Richard Feynman, takes its title from his own answer. From TV interview transcripts to his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize, we see his quick, sharp wit, his devotion to his work, and his unwillingness to bow to social pressure or convention. It's no wonder he was only grudgingly admired by the establishment during his lifetime--read his "Minority Report to the Space Shuttle Challenger Inquiry" to see him blowing off political considerations as impediments to finding the truth.
Feynman had a fantastic sense of humor, and his memoirs of his Manhattan Project days roil with fun despite his later misgivings about nuclear weapons. Though one or two pieces are a bit hard to follow for the nontechnical reader, for the most part the book is easygoing and engaging on a personal rather than a scientific level. Freeman Dyson's foreword and editor Jeffrey Robbins's introductions to each essay set the stage well and are respectful without being worshipful. Though Feynman has been gone now for many years, his work lives on in quantum physics, computer design, and nanotechnology; like any great scientist, he asked more questions than he answered, to give future generations the pleasure of finding things out. --Rob Lightner
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