Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
Time to read: 3 min read
Book Cover
You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing.
Review
The autobiography is about Feynman, one of the most fascinating scientific figures in the 20th century. Not only was Feynman an amazing educator, he was also well-known for his eccentricity and charm. The story follows Feynman from his days growing up fixing radios to his journey through academia, eventually winning the Nobel Prize. The narrative doesn’t just focus on his illustrious career, but on his personal anecdotes, such as his disdain for rigid bureaucracy at Los Alamos and his numerous hobbies, which includes samba and safecracking. The book is based off of his taped interviews with his close friend and drumming partner Ralph Leighton.
The book is written in a very colloquial manner and was a quick read. The anecdotes range from some very interesting ones, such as Feynman’s annoyance at winning the Nobel Prize, to some more questionable ones, such as Feynman talking about his experiences and expertise at picking up women. Overall Feynman is portrayed as a roguish and mischievous character who enjoys pursuing his own interests and has a disdain for fitting in and being conventional. There are many nuggets of wisdom spread throughout the book; the top three for me were:
Feynman has an insatiable curiosity. He not only has a fascination with physics, his domain of expertise, but he also embraces new experiences and hobbies openly and with a child-like enthusiasm. This openness to new experiences has helped him live a much richer life, such as attending a dance for the deaf and opting to stay at an original Japanese inn instead of a Western hotel when traveling to Japan.
Feynman advocates for a more thorough understanding of content for education. He laments that in many cases, people’s understanding of topics is too shallow and focused on regurgitation, and that hurts people’s abilities to apply that understanding. The Feynman Technique for learning is famous and worth looking into for all students.
Feynman stresses the importance of intellectual honesty. Feynman brings up the example of debating with Niels Bohr; Bohr, despite being Feynman’s senior, was open to Feynman’s viewpoints, even if said viewpoints are against Bohr's own. Feynman believes that one should always be challenging one’s own views and ideas to ensure that they’re actually true. Feynman also stresses the importance of being unconventional; one should not let their concern for what other people think jeopardize one’s integrity or one’s happiness.
Conclusion
Tons of witty anecdotes from a clever and wise character.