البته که اگر ما چیزهای خوبی بسازیم، تمام اعتبار آن متعلق به علم نخواهد بود، بلکه به خاطر انتخاب اخلاقی ما که منجر به آن کار خوب شده است نیز خواهد بود. آموخته‌های علمی قدرتی به ما میدهد که کارهای نیک یا شر انجام دهیم، ولی دستورالعملی برای نحوه انجام آن به ما نمیدهد. چنین قدرتی به خودی خود ارزشمند است، حتی اگر این قدرت به دلیل نحوه استفاده آن توسط شخصی ناچیز شمرده شود.
من راهی را برای بیان این مشکل مشترک بشری در یکی از سفر‌هایم به هنولولو (یکی از جزایر هاوایی) آموخته‌ام. در یکی از معابد بودایی راهبی که در آنجا برای توریست‌ها اندکی در مورد آیین بودایی توضیح میداد، گفت حرفهاییش را با جمله‌ای پایان خواهد داد، که آنها هیچ‌گاه فراموش نخواهند کرد - و من هم هیچ گاه آن را فراموش نکردم. این جمله مثلی است در ایین بودایی:

به هر شخصی کلید درب بهشت داده شده است، همان کلید درب جهنم را نیز باز خواهد کرد.

پس ارزش کلید بهشت در چه خواهد بود؟ مشخص است که اگر ما دستورالعمل مشخصی نداشته باشیم که مشخص کند کدام درب به بهشت میرود و کدام یک به جهنم، استفاده از این کلید میتواند خطرناک باشد.
اما واضح است که این کلید دارای ارزش است: بدون آن چگونه ما میتوانیم وارد بهشت شویم؟

One of a kind!

Collates Surely You're Joking and What Do You Care What Other People Think. My copy came with a CD recording of Feynman, but I think you can find that content on youtube now.

I loved this book. Super engaging, interesting, and educational wrt history and science. Philosophy of science was fascinating - some of which I agreed with (the importance of acknowledging ignorance) and others not as much (the falsity and non-necessity of espousing broader impacts). It's surprising that with someone as outspoken as Feinman, I was never offended at all, even in his discussions of women (some with adjacent editorial apology).

با نوشته‌های چارلی با فاینمن آشنا شدم و ازش ممنونم بابت آشنایی با همچین شخصیتی.
فاینمن کسی بود که براش هیچ کدوم از هنجارهای اجتماعی مزخرف مهم نبود. جایزه‌ی نوبل گرفت؛ ولی با گروه‌های موسیقی طبل میزد و هر کاری که باهاش حال میکرد رو انجام میداد و اصلا براش مهم نبود که مردم در باره‌ش چی میگن.
به طور خلاصه فاینمن شخصیتی هست که خیلی میشه ازش یاد گرفت :)
از خوندن کتاب لذت بردم. از اینکه چقدر راحت و بی‌پرده خاطراتشو میگه برامون. فقط قسمت‌های از فصل آخر رو که خیلی تخصصی در مورد تحقیقاتش در مورد سانحه‌ی چلنجر توضیح داده بود رو رها کردم و با بقیه‌ی کتاب زندگی کردم :)

Classics from Feynman's earlier autobiographical works arranged in roughly chronological order. A bonus CD of some of the source material is included, and is well worth the price of admission. Feynman was hilarious to listen to, a born raconteur. Fun collection that's light on the science and heavy on the anecdotes. Recommended.

I don't care what Freeman Dyson says; Feynman has to be making half this shit up. But you can't make up working at Los Alamos or unraveling the Challenger disaster. And even if Feynman has exaggerated a little for the sake of good storytelling, it's still damn good storytelling, and legitimate insight into a strange, playful mind that most of us in the math and sciences have profound respect for. Bravo.

I had started this book many years ago, but shelved it for reasons I cannot remember. As another reviewer pointed out, there's something about the right book at the right time. This time, Feynman's story was personally revelatory and revolutionary. Read when you're burning to see the world differently--and rejoice and marvel at it.

Feynman surely was an interesting character. His writing and lecture style appears so relaxed, even I might have understood physics had I studied under him!

"From bongoing to biology, from painting to poetry, from computing to cracking safes; Feynmans facination with the world knew no bounds." (BBC)

As mine with him; his magnificent worldview, love and of science, humor and pedagogic skills is awesome. The pleasure of finding Feynman is immense - and neverending!

This book is a collection of all the stories from "Surley You're joking, Mr. Feynman" and "What do you care what other people think", along with some new entries and a CD(!).

It is hilarious, touching, and mind blowing. Beautiful, as always.

Proves Richard is a Feynman

This book is incredible, though not for the reasons I had really anticipated.

The portions of the book I really thoroughly enjoyed had nothing to do with physics. The parts I'll remember from this book are his exploits as a lockpick, a safecracker, a figure artist, a bongo player, a prankster, a polyglot, and a traveler. I'll remember his determination in working on only things that interest him, even if they don't appear to be useful (the wobbling plate). I'll remember his hours observing ants form trails.

This book didn't leave me with a strong desire to become a brilliant, meticulous scientist, but rather to live several different lives with incredible experiences in each. I didn't appreciate until almost half way through the book that the subtitle "All the Adventures of a Curious Character" has a double meaning - he was a very strange man with an intense desire to learn about the world around him.