What makes a scientist tick? What on earth could induce someone to wallow in the righteousness of self-proclaimed theories for a profession? Can we associate a distinctive human trait to the inventions and discoveries that continually change the way we understand the world around us?
Seriously, I have no idea. Still, let’s take a peek at the life of one scientist extraordinaire, the late Richard Feynman. This book is a compilation of anecdotes from his life as he told them to the author, Ralph Leighton. Feynman was a nobel prize winning physicist from Caltech, who did ground breaking work in Quantum Electrodynamics. But don’t let any of that put you off.
This book is not about his physics, but a collection of interesting real life incidents that reveal his zest for life as much as his wit. There’s the one that chronicles his childhood exploits along with his early obsession for learning by doing. There are others that record his playful pranks as a young student at MIT and Princeton, along with his fixation to understand everything around him in his own terms. Then there are stories, from the time he was part of a team involved in making the atom bomb, that showcase his scientific talent, a bizarre interest in cracking safes (the ones with the number combination locks), and the extraordinary love he shared with his terminally ill wife.
Then there are yet others that bring forth his love for physics, music, painting and liberal sexuality, all in equal measure, as a young professor, first in Cornell and later in Caltech. The book ends with Feynman’s views on various aspects of life where he passionately argues against widespread pseudoscience, and makes no secret of his utter disdain for fancy ideas passed around as high intellectualism.
The prose of this text makes it an extremely easy read. If science does not excite you, you can still enjoy the book as a bunch of curious adventures of an eccentric know-it-all geek. However, if you are even remotely interested in science, this book is more than just a memoir of an accomplished physicist. Using a method as unique as his physics, Feynman explains the philosophy of science in the simplest possible terms.
Perhaps his obsession for authentic science, his cheerful disrespect for conventional wisdom, and his fierce insistence on finding things out by himself are all the real hallmarks of great scientists. Even if you disagree, ’’Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman’’ is a true joy to read.
N.B. There is a sequel to this book called ’’What Do You Care What Other People Think?’’ and a couple of other Feynman books in the same spirit (including ’’The Pleasure Of Finding Things Out’’) all of which, I believe, have some overlapping content. Having read the three of them at least once, I think this book is still the best of them all.