Anyone else get the feeling after watching alot of Feynmans videos that he may have been a partial Savant? His mannerisms are....odd, but he was clearly brilliant
@kristijanadrian Turning down the Nobel Prize might have advsersely affected his career. He later stated that turning down the Nobel Prize may have given off the wrong message to others and also would have given him even more publicity which he did not want.
You fail to see that the decision to accept or decline the Nobel Prize is not only about whether he wants or likes the Nobel Prize, but also how accepting or declining would affect him or his career.
@kristijanadrian He took the Nobel Prize because there was no way to refuse it without becoming more famous for turning it down than for winning it.
In another interview he stated that he thought the Nobel committee should privately contact the winners to give them the opportunity to quietly turn it down if they wish.
I'm not sure what you are saying he believed at Los Alamos.
Yes. Plus, we would not have all the results of that kind of "follwing" the rulers that tell us what kind of weapon we need to kill each other. Feynman was light years ahead.
@kickniko Absolutely - it beggars belief that yesterday was the fiftieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight, and the world still clings to the the comfort blanket of religion and consumerism.
Mankind never truly grasped the significance of what happened in the 1960s - achieved by men who were not interested in monetary gain.
i thought of the path integral by myself without tentatively studying math. didnt this guy help blow up nagasaki cause they bombed a stupid indigenous hawaiian takeover island.
@gen6k It was believed that the Germans were developing atomic weapons, so to him and many others, developing the weapon first was the right thing to do.
@sexyloser albert einstein said the same thing about the soviet union. feynman became a hippie at caltech so he obviously regretted it...theres always a third option. like gathering more intelligence and bombing their radioactive compound plants. instead of just clubbing it like a caveman
did feynman know that science has responsibilities and has to take a relevant role in society and that society pays for that? and that having a prize like that is the recognition that you are capable to deal with them? this is our usual way of scientist of hiding inside our magic tower while outside there is the struggle for power and then we have to kneel in front of the winner. Did F. like this? I'm like him but science is loosing so much importance.. we have to take our place in society
@karmajuda He's right, the nobel prize signifies nothing. He's better off getting in front of a camera and talking about science than having his name on a paper in a plaque on a wall.
He's better off contributing to human knowledge and encouraging new scientific developments and understanding than having a committee decide that he's worthy of having his name written down.
@karmajuda I think you are wrong. Nobel prize is not the way to show who is capable of what! Newton, Pascal, Galileo, Leibniz, Laplace, Decartes, Cardano, Avogadro, Kepler and most of the great scientists didn't win the Nobel Prize and yet everybody knows what they were capable of. Feynman is right, who are the Swedish academy to decide who is illustrious enough to win that or not? Look how many people undeservedly won that so called "Nobel Prize". Science and scientists are above Nobel Prizes!
@karmajud I wonder how come that Swedish academy of science cannot contribute anything to the science, but they can say who is a good scientist who is not?? What we know today as Science, is the result of works of millions of scientists through ages and not only one scientist. Prizes are good only as Prize, but not to differentiate between scientists. You get a 1st in college and receive a prize, the other only guy gets merit, then he invents something and you can't. Now who is more illustrious?
did feynman know that science has responsibilities and has to take a relevant role in society and that society pays for that? and that having a prize like that is the recognition that you are capable to deal with them? this is our usual way of scientist of hiding inside our magic tower while outside there is the struggle for power and then we have to kneel in front of the winner. Did F. liked this? I'm like him but science is loosing so much importance.. we have to take our place in society
@mballzhari Yes he did my friend ;). However, if we look at the entire context hanging around the quote the "God" he was referring to was not a deity but a succinct way of saying "the universe is planned to be ordered".
Turns out, this is one of the most "quote mined" quotes in the history of science!
I don't understand why I haven't heard more scientists express opinions similar to this. It would seem to me that awards and honors conflict with the objective motivation for the pursuit of science.
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1965 was awarded jointly to Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger and Richard P. Feynman "for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles".
just googled NAS and the first thing that comes up is "NAS Honors 13 for Major Contributions to Science Jan. 20, 2011: The National Academy of Sciences will honor 13 individuals in 2011 for their outstanding ..."
how cool, not only is this guy one of the smartest guys to have ever lived, he is also modent and humble. He also seems to really care about the physics...he really cares about finding things. In todays physics community; this is not always true of all physicists, but its great to see it in Feynman!
@sidewaysfcs0718, you obviously don't understand anything about how Feynman thinks about this. He doesn't got anything against labeling gay people or for that matter, ridicule those shit hole fuckers. He got against pope and honours because of lack of reason for exactly this or that getting to be a pope or a prize winner. Calling a shit hole fucker gay is perfectly justified (in scientific sense)
I just love it when he says "...decides is "noble" enough..." to be worthy of the "Nobel" prize!!! which confirms his starting statement : " I don't know anything about the "Nobel" prize... LOL
i listen to this video several times a week ...whenever I think that someone is behaving a little pompous, or I realize I have been acting childish....this video sets me right...
concentrate on the process, and the joy of the work and the findings....
What is value? According to us value is something that we have assigned as meaningfull. But are we in such a position of power\? Are we Gods? What right do we have to assign value. We are basically the same as any other living thing. When we die we go back to the Earth. We are like a grain of sand when all is said and done. If anything is God it would have to be nature. And in nature everything is valuable. Its all interconnected and one thing cannot exist with out another.
Honors are inevitable... if you appreciate somebody for his great work, for his great mind, the honors come naturally. But for me, big honors with prices and ceremonies are indeed kinda stupid, and the best honor I couldve gaven to my hero Feyman was only to approach him with 2 beers -or maybe orange juice haha- and tell him: "hey sir! I admire you so damn much for your work and thinking, because you showed me what science was and because your ideas made me a better person. Thank you so much"
i think feynman's point was actually more along the lines of "that's a stupid question and the nobel committee can go fuck themselves". of course i'm paraphrasing
@angela1894 I don't think there are many people in the history of the world as articulate as Feynman. It takes a lot of skill to explain very difficult physics to laymen and there is no better teacher than Feynman.
I think our ears now might be trained to more convoluted speeches than very very direct points. Physicists are always the best at getting to the point.
There is nothing wrong with any of the labels you listed. Black people are fundamentally different from us. Only silly, childish liberals think everyone and everything is the same. No. Labels are useful to distinguish between different things.
the difference u are talking about isnt what i ment ..
we live in a society of hate ..
look at how we lable people "straight" or "gay" ..so straight ..the world means normal ...buy gay used to mean happy ..so homosexuals are unnnturally too happy or lunatic?
is there any word for white that is racially offensive? cracker doesnt really sound bad
nigger, wetback, porchmonkey, faggot, queer ...words invented by white people to mock other races..
You didn't understand what Feynman was saying and everyone who voted your comment up is an idiot. Feynman was talking about the arbitrary nature of raising certain people above others via the mechanisms of superficial decoration and titles and so forth. Not labeling people as "gay, straight, white, black, smart, mediocre, etc". Guess what, certain people are by their own admission gay or straight or white or black or smart or mediocre or so on and so forth.
He wasnt very good at school - he didnt even had the grades to enter the Polytechnic school that he wanted (in Zurich i think, just search it on the net)!
He actually had extreme difficulties on mathematics and he had to ask a friend to help him solve some of the relativity equations that were veery complex!
He worked in a patent office fore some years before having the right recognition (and it was not for his grades)
Einstein wasn't that intelligent? I mean why did he had difficulties? Of course, tensory analysis is pretty difficult, but look at geniuses like Heisenberg who invented their own mathematical methods...
nevermind that, I mean Einstein isn't responsible for the biggest part of the theory of relativity, I mean the mathematical descriptions (Minkowski & Grossman) wasn't made by him, which is, of course, a very fundamental part of the theory. He probably didn't even understand it lol.
Knowing mathematics (pure theoretical rules) doesnt mean you understand what they mean in practice!
You (or they) know all the mathematical rules because mathematics is a human abstraction - we "invented" the rules! Understanding mathematics doent mean you are intelligent
Science use mathematics as a tool to undestand more easily things that are almost impossible to imagine in the physical world!
Thus mathematics is as limited as the human intelligence!
It predicts because it uses the common sense of our knowledge and adapts the world around it! Its not the mathematics that are accurate - it's the Universe that is (mathematics just probes it)
There are fields that mathematics cannot adapt nor explain because they are too complex. Some questions of quantum mechanics, for example, are so confusingly complex that not even the scientists understand the mathematics that are created in order to explain certain phenomenon!
I believe that mathematics are only limited as far as our intelligence is! Thats why they are a human abstraction!
@aristotledixit totally unimportant compared with general relativity or quantum mechanics... brownian motion and photoelectric effects aren't theories .. I was talking about theories as far as I can remember.
"Einstein isn't responsible for the biggest part of the theory of relativity" how can you say that? I think your anti semitism blinds you, anyway, The dogs bark, but the caravan passes.
Einstein mastered differential and integral calculus while he was still in highschool. He didn't get into the technical school because of other subjects, his maths and physics marks were exceptional.
@kingjamie2 i love it when people say einstein was bad at math and all such bulshit lol he was a theoretical physicist for fuck sakes... what do you mean he wasn't good at math? Can a car function without wheels??
nice to see someone is not going along with group think.
@kingjamie2 Many students learn differential and integral calculus in high school. I don't think even you appreciate Einstein's genius since he learned calculus at age 13 out of his own curiosity about the subject.
I doubt the cursorary familiarity with integrating and differentiating simple, 1-dimensional functions that most highschool children possess (if that) will have been on the same level as Einstein's facility with calculus as a highschool student. I did say "master" as opposed to "he was just about able to use a hyperbolic substitution to integrate"
@kingjamie2 Still, I think its more impressive if u just say einstein's started learning calculus at age 13. I mean I was doing fractions at that age.
Having good grades doent mean that you understang everything!!!
The educational system just works that way - the system only evaluates the capacity of a student for doing exams and tests! And consequently only gives recognitions to those who are talented in solving exams
Anyone can memorize a certain book and then write down in a sheet of paper the answer!
I'm just saying that theres more into being intelligent than just having good grades
@luarionte I totally agree with you, here in germany we have the same problem.
When I still was in school, we had people with good grades, who were completely idiots in the regular everyday life, but their parents, bought them private teachers, made them learn all day long, and thats why they memorized everything like a robot, and voilá, good grades.
I dont really have an idea of how to effectifly improve that (it would take too long to explain it anyway) so...
Theres a difference between intelligence and smartness!!!!
Having good grades at scholl desnt mean you are intelligent - on the contrary! It means that you only are good doing tests and exams.
A person with good grades only understands the aquired knowledge on the books - those people dont have the creativity to think differently of what is in the books (because if they did, they wouldnt have good grades)!
Thats why Feynman is different: he understands things in a completely new way
A person who only studies all day, only understands the aquired knoledge in the books. They cannot deviate from that knoledge and they cannot think for themselves!
Those people think science is like a religion - everything is on books and you have to know it and not question it!!
So yeah, the ONLY thing they can do is quote all the facts in those books. whitout even understanding what that means!
Because schools and colleges evaluate the students that way - tests and exams!
hm, well it looks like the peple with bad grades don't even have the ability to make good grades, this is extremly embarassing and a sign of stupidity? do you really believe that people like feynman or heisenberg had bad grades at school? ofc...
@luarionte I see what you're saying, but this has more to do with exams being designed badly, where some people can get excellent grades without understanding anything.
If exams are designed better they can be more useful. Still of course a test is only a test.
Your comment emits unfounded disrespect and complete imaturity, you still have to learn yourself to be humble and work for yourself, not for the others. All these things : motivation, social status, and power come from inside, they are your own personal traits, they cannot be given to you by anyone, unless you find them yourself...
on a personal level honors are good thing that you mentioned be personally Feynman didn't care about the praise but the work in finding things out. Honors causes some people to become egotistical and want worship(i.e religion) and takes away from the wonder. Power with honors is stupid because I've seen honor students look like fools in subjects to others who weren't "honor" students.
I found Feynman's popular books informative and fun, but was always suspicious of the myth surrounding the guy, all those anecdotes about the crazy things he got up to that people keep repeating with glee and so on. I suspected he might have been a twat. Watching these videos it's been great to discover he was good, decent man, endearing, and not the preening egotist I'd feared.
it is not a matter of being a genius to express this way of thinking ,but this guy is such a magnificent personality.I do like his thoughts and i totaly agree with that.
honors is for those that they do not feel confident about themselves.
That doesn't make any sense. How does him him denying honors affect the age when he died? And also, he was 69 when he died, that's not "relatively young".
If you read the obituaries regularly, you might notice that people who make trouble for the powerful tend to have significantly shorter lifespans. The fact that he had *two* rare forms of cancer raises some red flags. I'm guessing there were some powerful elitists that intensely disliked Feynman for his outspoken anti-elitism. And it is relatively young for someone of his class with access to the best health care. But feel free to count me among the "tin foil hat brigade" if it comforts you.
I don't need evidence for a suggestion. If you don't believe such things can be and are induced, here is a quote from a CIA memo way back in 1952 about the cancer-causing effects of beryllium - "This is certainly the most toxic inorganic element and it produces a peculiar fibrotic tumor at the site of local application. The amount necessary to produce these tumors is a few micrograms." The technology for inducing "natural" deaths has presumably progressed by leaps and bounds since then.
To show that there does exist a technology for inducing cancer, among other diseases, and therefore it's not inconceivable that Feynman's cancer was induced. It's also interesting that shortly before his death he served on the Presidential Rogers Commission that investigated the Challenger disaster and "stray[ed] from his usual convention of brief, light-hearted anecdotes to deliver an extended and sober narrative...
Feynman's account reveals a disconnect between NASA's engineers and executives that was far more striking than he expected. His interviews of NASA's high-ranking managers revealed startling misunderstandings of elementary concepts." (Wikipedia). That's the kind of work and opinion that can shorten your lifespan.
So far, all you've done is copy and paste irrelevant information. You've shown no evidence to support your claim - instead you've given me a failed attempt at speculation.
I hate to cut this short, but I don't like arguing with people who don't know what they're talking about. I'll have to count you amongst the "tin foil hat brigade"
BTW: According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, the average life expectancy of a male in 1980 was 70.1. Feynman died at 69.
I didn't make any claims - duh. You don't seem to realize that I don't give a crap about the opinion of some young, wannabe academic weenie like yourself.
I replied to the last comment that showed up on my screen, to a person who's comment happened to be underneath yours. It had nothing to do with you. And now I will leave you to your foolishness.
You're kind of missing the context here. Feynman is an accomplished physicist who's won prizes and honors and soforth, and he's only talking about not caring about those things within the community of scientists. For one scientist to say to another, "Look at me, I'm better because of my prizes!", this is what he is arguing against. In terms of distinguishing a scientist from a layperson, a title like Doctor is still important.
But people who just go around telling people their IQ are morons.
The title of Doctor is earned, it is achieved after years of work and then final peer review. It has nothing to do with honors. He's saying honors tell you nothing about the person in the end, because they don't mean anything.
out of curiosity, may I ask who that friend was? BTW I suggest surely you are joking mr feynman to anyone who wants to enjoy his memories. It was an easy and fun book by him.
so that means that he cared :) as far as i know there are scientists who decline this prize or some others and never give speeches to not become a famous face. I think that would be more consistent as what he says here. I like him anyway though :) so cute.
He said that it was easier to accept Nobel prize, than to decline it. If he declined the prize, he would become famous anyway. But, I think, he didn't want to explain to everyone why did he do this.
the only thing that i am trying to say is that some people like to be seen as humble as it makes them better than they are. it is easy to say these after you got all the honors you wanted. the humble and modest thing is to be able say these before you get them.
He did not, the reason why was because he was told by a friend that if he turned it down he would have become much more famous than by simply accepting the award.
zadigjaja -- he wanted to, but said it would have become a bigger issue if he declined, which is probably true. Anyway, I agree 100% with his point here, and have since I was a little kid.
I think he's incredible, he strikes me as a completely authentic and down to earth person. As they say "the most extraordinary person is the most ordinary person", and he's living proof. It's amazing to just know that people like him have ever lived.
"I've already got the prize, the prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out, the kick of the discovery, the observation other people use it,
"One of the smartest men who ever lived... wow!!!"
Yup, anyone who has ever read his stuff.. unless they are mentally retarded (and even with mental disabilities some can tell) can see he was one of the smartest to ever live.
Back before birth control...Feynman used to write the women he seduced/had sex with (He was married as well), a cheque for $500 for them to get an abortion.
He even had shagging broads down to a mathematical equation.
He makes his point very clear !! I hope everybody could agree with him. Our world would be a better place if everybody would think on honors like him.
It is great for Feynman to think such way but in modern society it is difficult to resist peer pressure of success.
Nobel prize etc help scientists to allow their non-scientist friends appreciate their work effort. It is difficult for laymen to understand modern scientific discoveries' worth. Hence these prizes may be used to signal certain scientists' capability so in order to gain research fundings etc
What a friend he would be. Content with the joy of childlike discovery and the pleasure others find in his work. So wise. "There arose an argument among them about which of them was the greatest. Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great."
well, he used the prize money to buy house anyway, despite what he are saying...
Th0usandMaster 1 week ago
this man, has Real Eyes.
rahxephon52 3 weeks ago
He's right in most ways.
There are some sort of exlusivness about deciding who deserves a price, a membership etc.
F.ex. the Nobel price, there must have been many instances of ppl doing equally good work, as the pricewinners, wich are excluded.
BelieveNoGod 2 months ago
Anyone else get the feeling after watching alot of Feynmans videos that he may have been a partial Savant? His mannerisms are....odd, but he was clearly brilliant
poptya 4 months ago
@kristijanadrian Turning down the Nobel Prize might have advsersely affected his career. He later stated that turning down the Nobel Prize may have given off the wrong message to others and also would have given him even more publicity which he did not want.
You fail to see that the decision to accept or decline the Nobel Prize is not only about whether he wants or likes the Nobel Prize, but also how accepting or declining would affect him or his career.
sexyloser 5 months ago
@kristijanadrian He took the Nobel Prize because there was no way to refuse it without becoming more famous for turning it down than for winning it.
In another interview he stated that he thought the Nobel committee should privately contact the winners to give them the opportunity to quietly turn it down if they wish.
I'm not sure what you are saying he believed at Los Alamos.
deedubya286 6 months ago
if everyone thought like this guy, the world would be a much better place
xlibra15 8 months ago 3
If every human had a world view like Feynman we would have been colonizing the galaxy by now.
eduncho 9 months ago 5
@eduncho
Yes. Plus, we would not have all the results of that kind of "follwing" the rulers that tell us what kind of weapon we need to kill each other. Feynman was light years ahead.
kickniko 9 months ago 2
@kickniko Absolutely - it beggars belief that yesterday was the fiftieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight, and the world still clings to the the comfort blanket of religion and consumerism.
Mankind never truly grasped the significance of what happened in the 1960s - achieved by men who were not interested in monetary gain.
Ljotulfson 9 months ago
@eduncho That's very true.
Ljotulfson 9 months ago
What a baller.
keelorenz 9 months ago
Thanks Feynman.
Cammie010 10 months ago
i thought of the path integral by myself without tentatively studying math. didnt this guy help blow up nagasaki cause they bombed a stupid indigenous hawaiian takeover island.
gen6k 10 months ago
@gen6k It was believed that the Germans were developing atomic weapons, so to him and many others, developing the weapon first was the right thing to do.
sexyloser 5 months ago
@sexyloser albert einstein said the same thing about the soviet union. feynman became a hippie at caltech so he obviously regretted it...theres always a third option. like gathering more intelligence and bombing their radioactive compound plants. instead of just clubbing it like a caveman
gen6k 5 months ago
@gen6k Who says they weren't doing that? What would you rather have? One effort to stop German atomic weapons or two?
sexyloser 5 months ago
@sexyloser um he worked on the hiroshima project didnt he? youre a neocon shutup
gen6k 5 months ago
mmh
did feynman know that science has responsibilities and has to take a relevant role in society and that society pays for that? and that having a prize like that is the recognition that you are capable to deal with them? this is our usual way of scientist of hiding inside our magic tower while outside there is the struggle for power and then we have to kneel in front of the winner. Did F. like this? I'm like him but science is loosing so much importance.. we have to take our place in society
karmajuda 10 months ago
@karmajuda He's right, the nobel prize signifies nothing. He's better off getting in front of a camera and talking about science than having his name on a paper in a plaque on a wall.
He's better off contributing to human knowledge and encouraging new scientific developments and understanding than having a committee decide that he's worthy of having his name written down.
Icemario87 10 months ago
@karmajuda I think you are wrong. Nobel prize is not the way to show who is capable of what! Newton, Pascal, Galileo, Leibniz, Laplace, Decartes, Cardano, Avogadro, Kepler and most of the great scientists didn't win the Nobel Prize and yet everybody knows what they were capable of. Feynman is right, who are the Swedish academy to decide who is illustrious enough to win that or not? Look how many people undeservedly won that so called "Nobel Prize". Science and scientists are above Nobel Prizes!
Maverickrad 4 days ago
@karmajud I wonder how come that Swedish academy of science cannot contribute anything to the science, but they can say who is a good scientist who is not?? What we know today as Science, is the result of works of millions of scientists through ages and not only one scientist. Prizes are good only as Prize, but not to differentiate between scientists. You get a 1st in college and receive a prize, the other only guy gets merit, then he invents something and you can't. Now who is more illustrious?
Maverickrad 4 days ago
mmh
did feynman know that science has responsibilities and has to take a relevant role in society and that society pays for that? and that having a prize like that is the recognition that you are capable to deal with them? this is our usual way of scientist of hiding inside our magic tower while outside there is the struggle for power and then we have to kneel in front of the winner. Did F. liked this? I'm like him but science is loosing so much importance.. we have to take our place in society
karmajuda 10 months ago
@mballzhari Yes he did my friend ;). However, if we look at the entire context hanging around the quote the "God" he was referring to was not a deity but a succinct way of saying "the universe is planned to be ordered".
Turns out, this is one of the most "quote mined" quotes in the history of science!
PhysicsMathMan 10 months ago
I don't understand why I haven't heard more scientists express opinions similar to this. It would seem to me that awards and honors conflict with the objective motivation for the pursuit of science.
TheEpisteme 11 months ago
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1965 was awarded jointly to Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger and Richard P. Feynman "for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles".
geertjan77 11 months ago
I really like this guy...totally real and straight from the heart. Yes! PEACE, JOY AND HAPPINESS, ALL WAYS..for EVERYONE..not just the selected...LOL
JohnWilliamCornett 11 months ago 5
just googled NAS and the first thing that comes up is "NAS Honors 13 for Major Contributions to Science Jan. 20, 2011: The National Academy of Sciences will honor 13 individuals in 2011 for their outstanding ..."
matthewdoucette 1 year ago
Feynman just owned the NAS in the face.
silverbvllet 1 year ago
how cool, not only is this guy one of the smartest guys to have ever lived, he is also modent and humble. He also seems to really care about the physics...he really cares about finding things. In todays physics community; this is not always true of all physicists, but its great to see it in Feynman!
hellsfinallyfrozen 1 year ago
Feynman was truly beyond human capability and understanding.
dalonelybaptist 1 year ago
@sidewaysfcs0718, you obviously don't understand anything about how Feynman thinks about this. He doesn't got anything against labeling gay people or for that matter, ridicule those shit hole fuckers. He got against pope and honours because of lack of reason for exactly this or that getting to be a pope or a prize winner. Calling a shit hole fucker gay is perfectly justified (in scientific sense)
Vocalallusive 1 year ago
@Vocalallusive Why the hell are you so mad? It's the internet, who cares?
anamusingusername 1 year ago
@anamusingusername, why do you believe I'm mad? Didn't you know this is me in jabber mode?
Vocalallusive 1 year ago
I just love it when he says "...decides is "noble" enough..." to be worthy of the "Nobel" prize!!! which confirms his starting statement : " I don't know anything about the "Nobel" prize... LOL
mutichurrasco 1 year ago
@mutichurrasco lol yes, like its the prize for being the most noble physicist!
chrisofnottingham 1 year ago
Anybody knows when was this video recorded?
u2naru 1 year ago
EVERYONE JUST STFU AND DO PHYSICS -___-
gvsfgdf 1 year ago 21
i listen to this video several times a week ...whenever I think that someone is behaving a little pompous, or I realize I have been acting childish....this video sets me right...
concentrate on the process, and the joy of the work and the findings....
prahaladkrao 1 year ago 9
@prahaladkrao Me too -and I'm not a natural scientist, I'm a hellenist. But the lucidity of this man is trully therapeutic.
Sgtpepperslonelyband 1 year ago
thank goodness for people like him, god knows there few of em
managarm1349 1 year ago
What is value? According to us value is something that we have assigned as meaningfull. But are we in such a position of power\? Are we Gods? What right do we have to assign value. We are basically the same as any other living thing. When we die we go back to the Earth. We are like a grain of sand when all is said and done. If anything is God it would have to be nature. And in nature everything is valuable. Its all interconnected and one thing cannot exist with out another.
lisakaylanemorris 1 year ago 2
@lisakaylanemorris - I do like your comment. This video, and many of the comments, are really inspiring.
ArtistsOwnMusic 9 months ago
Why isn't this man the most famous man in the world!? An absolute genius!
DarkAngelSupreme 1 year ago 5
@DarkAngelSupreme Because he is a genius and the majority of people are too stupid to understand him.
blkcpdconure 1 year ago
Honors are inevitable... if you appreciate somebody for his great work, for his great mind, the honors come naturally. But for me, big honors with prices and ceremonies are indeed kinda stupid, and the best honor I couldve gaven to my hero Feyman was only to approach him with 2 beers -or maybe orange juice haha- and tell him: "hey sir! I admire you so damn much for your work and thinking, because you showed me what science was and because your ideas made me a better person. Thank you so much"
nestorlovesguitar 1 year ago
i think feynman's point was actually more along the lines of "that's a stupid question and the nobel committee can go fuck themselves". of course i'm paraphrasing
ucihapokujin 1 year ago
Just watch this please
ticofi 1 year ago
Honours are stupids in some way but they are part of the fun of life. Compare them to birthdays for example...
MrIBW2 1 year ago
@MrIBW2 your logic fails there
jimmie254 1 year ago
batxg3 Rocks !!!
WoodstockHippie1969 1 year ago
he is clearly to pious, back when he was not famous he would have killed to get the nobel prize, its human nature to get more
hemaan93 1 year ago
Brilliant guy, but not the most articulate
angela1894 1 year ago
@angela1894 I don't think there are many people in the history of the world as articulate as Feynman. It takes a lot of skill to explain very difficult physics to laymen and there is no better teacher than Feynman.
I think our ears now might be trained to more convoluted speeches than very very direct points. Physicists are always the best at getting to the point.
ocd004 1 year ago
@ocd004
hugo weaving the actor who plays agent smith in the matrix , he had a nice way of talking :D
kinda like CARL SAGAN xD
sidewaysfcs0718 1 year ago
i love this guy! such a legend...
kerina3000 2 years ago 4
feynman clearly knew the dangers of labels
and u see this today
we label everything we think is different
gay, straight, white, black, smart , mediocre, rich, poor, cool, ugly,
kids getting prizes for school, kids doing sports
jocks, nerds....
its social darwinism at its best :) and feynman in a way gave us small warnings about things like this :)
sidewaysfcs0718 2 years ago 69
There is nothing wrong with any of the labels you listed. Black people are fundamentally different from us. Only silly, childish liberals think everyone and everything is the same. No. Labels are useful to distinguish between different things.
angela1894 1 year ago
@angela1894
the difference u are talking about isnt what i ment ..
we live in a society of hate ..
look at how we lable people "straight" or "gay" ..so straight ..the world means normal ...buy gay used to mean happy ..so homosexuals are unnnturally too happy or lunatic?
is there any word for white that is racially offensive? cracker doesnt really sound bad
nigger, wetback, porchmonkey, faggot, queer ...words invented by white people to mock other races..
sidewaysfcs0718 1 year ago
@angela1894 There you go, typical racist misinformation.
Yes! people are very different from each other, but these differences are based on Charakter and culture, not "Skin Color".
what sidewaysfcs0718 wrote, says it all
"nigger, wetback, porchmonkey, faggot, queer ...words invented by white people to mock other races."
Nigger isnt a word to distinguish black and white, its to offend black people.
if it was to say this person is black, you simply say "black" and not "nigger".
dietermauer 1 year ago
@sidewaysfcs0718 Neither you nor the sixteen levelers who gave you the "thumbs up" understood what Feinman said *at all*.
He isn't saying a word against meritocracy; he's saying that "honors" have quite a bit less to do with merit than is commonly supposed.
polymath7 1 year ago
@sidewaysfcs0718
You didn't understand what Feynman was saying and everyone who voted your comment up is an idiot. Feynman was talking about the arbitrary nature of raising certain people above others via the mechanisms of superficial decoration and titles and so forth. Not labeling people as "gay, straight, white, black, smart, mediocre, etc". Guess what, certain people are by their own admission gay or straight or white or black or smart or mediocre or so on and so forth.
WSWarthog 1 year ago 4
@sidewaysfcs0718
stop blabbering your own silly ideas.. and take what he says for what it is.
jameshanley40 1 year ago 3
@sidewaysfcs0718 Exactly.
DBlockn05 1 year ago
@sidewaysfcs0718 lol you fear words and denotation
Spalg 3 months ago
And i just gave and example: Einstein!
He wasnt very good at school - he didnt even had the grades to enter the Polytechnic school that he wanted (in Zurich i think, just search it on the net)!
He actually had extreme difficulties on mathematics and he had to ask a friend to help him solve some of the relativity equations that were veery complex!
He worked in a patent office fore some years before having the right recognition (and it was not for his grades)
luarionte 2 years ago
Einstein wasn't that intelligent? I mean why did he had difficulties? Of course, tensory analysis is pretty difficult, but look at geniuses like Heisenberg who invented their own mathematical methods...
nevermind that, I mean Einstein isn't responsible for the biggest part of the theory of relativity, I mean the mathematical descriptions (Minkowski & Grossman) wasn't made by him, which is, of course, a very fundamental part of the theory. He probably didn't even understand it lol.
x1x2x3ct 2 years ago
You said it yourself!
Knowing mathematics (pure theoretical rules) doesnt mean you understand what they mean in practice!
You (or they) know all the mathematical rules because mathematics is a human abstraction - we "invented" the rules! Understanding mathematics doent mean you are intelligent
Science use mathematics as a tool to undestand more easily things that are almost impossible to imagine in the physical world!
Thus mathematics is as limited as the human intelligence!
luarionte 2 years ago 2
But not understanding mathematics... lol
this isn't really a sign of intelligence ;D
x1x2x3ct 2 years ago
@luarionte Wow ! very well put....
Ckordobah 1 year ago
@luarionte if mathematics is the invetion of the human mind, how come it predicts so accurately the physical world?
got ya :)
omnipotentfish 1 year ago
@omnipotentfish
It predicts because it uses the common sense of our knowledge and adapts the world around it! Its not the mathematics that are accurate - it's the Universe that is (mathematics just probes it)
luarionte 1 year ago
@omnipotentfish
There are fields that mathematics cannot adapt nor explain because they are too complex. Some questions of quantum mechanics, for example, are so confusingly complex that not even the scientists understand the mathematics that are created in order to explain certain phenomenon!
I believe that mathematics are only limited as far as our intelligence is! Thats why they are a human abstraction!
luarionte 1 year ago
@x1x2x3ct What abot brownian motion or the photo electric effect doctor nobody?
aristotledixit 2 years ago
@aristotledixit totally unimportant compared with general relativity or quantum mechanics... brownian motion and photoelectric effects aren't theories .. I was talking about theories as far as I can remember.
x1x2x3ct 2 years ago
"Einstein isn't responsible for the biggest part of the theory of relativity" how can you say that? I think your anti semitism blinds you, anyway, The dogs bark, but the caravan passes.
aristotledixit 2 years ago
What are you talking about?
Einstein mastered differential and integral calculus while he was still in highschool. He didn't get into the technical school because of other subjects, his maths and physics marks were exceptional.
kingjamie2 2 years ago 20
No they werent!!!
luarionte 2 years ago
@kingjamie2 People thinking on these levels leave me in complete Awe. nothing but reverence for them !!!
Ckordobah 1 year ago 3
@kingjamie2 i love it when people say einstein was bad at math and all such bulshit lol he was a theoretical physicist for fuck sakes... what do you mean he wasn't good at math? Can a car function without wheels??
nice to see someone is not going along with group think.
gvsfgdf 1 year ago
@kingjamie2 lol, Einstein's life has been abused so much by people who want to make a point. Glad you know the truth.
1. He did exceptional in grade school
2. He was agnostic/leaning atheist, not Christian
3. He never told some story about the "absence of God" that you can find crawling on the internet
PhysicsMathMan 11 months ago
@kingjamie2 i'm pretty sure Einstein droped out of highschool
BelaFleckPhan 8 months ago
@BelaFleckPhan
I'm not sure that's correct, but alright. Let's say "while he was still in his teens" instead.
kingjamie2 8 months ago
@kingjamie2 Many students learn differential and integral calculus in high school. I don't think even you appreciate Einstein's genius since he learned calculus at age 13 out of his own curiosity about the subject.
GunsNRosesbitches 7 months ago
@GunsNRosesbitches
I doubt the cursorary familiarity with integrating and differentiating simple, 1-dimensional functions that most highschool children possess (if that) will have been on the same level as Einstein's facility with calculus as a highschool student. I did say "master" as opposed to "he was just about able to use a hyperbolic substitution to integrate"
kingjamie2 7 months ago
@kingjamie2 Still, I think its more impressive if u just say einstein's started learning calculus at age 13. I mean I was doing fractions at that age.
GunsNRosesbitches 7 months ago
You didnt understood what i said!!!
Having good grades doent mean that you understang everything!!!
The educational system just works that way - the system only evaluates the capacity of a student for doing exams and tests! And consequently only gives recognitions to those who are talented in solving exams
Anyone can memorize a certain book and then write down in a sheet of paper the answer!
I'm just saying that theres more into being intelligent than just having good grades
luarionte 2 years ago 4
@luarionte I totally agree with you, here in germany we have the same problem.
When I still was in school, we had people with good grades, who were completely idiots in the regular everyday life, but their parents, bought them private teachers, made them learn all day long, and thats why they memorized everything like a robot, and voilá, good grades.
I dont really have an idea of how to effectifly improve that (it would take too long to explain it anyway) so...
dietermauer 1 year ago
@tonybeir He gave reasons, listen again you crackpot.
VelikiBedak 2 years ago
@tonybeir
I've honored you - With a thumbs down.
XD
ImarSchmo 2 years ago
Theres a difference between intelligence and smartness!!!!
Having good grades at scholl desnt mean you are intelligent - on the contrary! It means that you only are good doing tests and exams.
A person with good grades only understands the aquired knowledge on the books - those people dont have the creativity to think differently of what is in the books (because if they did, they wouldnt have good grades)!
Thats why Feynman is different: he understands things in a completely new way
luarionte 2 years ago 2
not like you you mean?
x1x2x3ct 2 years ago
What does that matter???
I was just making a point
luarionte 2 years ago
what you said is not consistent. "It means that you only are good doing tests and exams."
the word ''only'' isn't appropriate here. it only means that you are good in exams, but it does not mean that you are only good in exams.
you understand the difference? ;)
x1x2x3ct 2 years ago
A person who only studies all day, only understands the aquired knoledge in the books. They cannot deviate from that knoledge and they cannot think for themselves!
Those people think science is like a religion - everything is on books and you have to know it and not question it!!
So yeah, the ONLY thing they can do is quote all the facts in those books. whitout even understanding what that means!
Because schools and colleges evaluate the students that way - tests and exams!
luarionte 2 years ago 4
hm, well it looks like the peple with bad grades don't even have the ability to make good grades, this is extremly embarassing and a sign of stupidity? do you really believe that people like feynman or heisenberg had bad grades at school? ofc...
x1x2x3ct 2 years ago
It doesnt work like that...
People who are truely intelligent dont have good grades because their minds arent fixed on the pre-conceived knoledge!
The most intelligent people in the world are known for having regular grades at school- not excellent!
luarionte 2 years ago 5
@luarionte I see what you're saying, but this has more to do with exams being designed badly, where some people can get excellent grades without understanding anything.
If exams are designed better they can be more useful. Still of course a test is only a test.
powpanda 2 years ago 3
@luarionte But you shouldnt make the mistake in saying, that people with good grades are automaticly unitelligent, I think this goes a bit too far^^
dietermauer 1 year ago
@dietermauer
Yes, i know!
But the majority of poeple make the exact oposite mistake, without ever realize it: The people with good grades are automaticly intelligent!
Which one is worse? I think this one is worse because its simply false
luarionte 1 year ago
Funny how such an extraordinary man was so humble.
nofooIn 2 years ago 2
Your comment emits unfounded disrespect and complete imaturity, you still have to learn yourself to be humble and work for yourself, not for the others. All these things : motivation, social status, and power come from inside, they are your own personal traits, they cannot be given to you by anyone, unless you find them yourself...
krang66 2 years ago
@tonybeir
crackpot at the deli? no
on a personal level honors are good thing that you mentioned be personally Feynman didn't care about the praise but the work in finding things out. Honors causes some people to become egotistical and want worship(i.e religion) and takes away from the wonder. Power with honors is stupid because I've seen honor students look like fools in subjects to others who weren't "honor" students.
begalthegreat 2 years ago 3
I found Feynman's popular books informative and fun, but was always suspicious of the myth surrounding the guy, all those anecdotes about the crazy things he got up to that people keep repeating with glee and so on. I suspected he might have been a twat. Watching these videos it's been great to discover he was good, decent man, endearing, and not the preening egotist I'd feared.
zanzibar79 2 years ago
it is not a matter of being a genius to express this way of thinking ,but this guy is such a magnificent personality.I do like his thoughts and i totaly agree with that.
honors is for those that they do not feel confident about themselves.
KARAB1NAS 2 years ago
@KARAB1NAS
I agree to an extant, but I truly respect, and admire, the honored that don't flaunt.
DamnReligion 2 years ago
wow, he's pretty much an ideal modern man, if that makes any sense
dudemandude999 2 years ago 2
I feel like only real geniuses can be so unimpressed by high honors (least of all, the Nobel Prize).
jayhawkdave24 2 years ago 4
Love this clip. Nobel Prize doesn't mean shit. Hence why Obama wins the peace prize while sending in 30,000 new troops into afghanistan
davyjames 2 years ago 8
very true, agreed.
aashishthakur77 2 years ago
@davyjames
Prizes are meaningless. Learning more about the universe we live in is the real prize.
stargateproductions 1 year ago 9
@davyjames thats y hitler got mad at obama coz he sent more troops n killed more people but received no prize for what hes done.
joanindo 1 year ago
what a champion.
GHoooSTS 2 years ago 5
the nobel prize of sciense is good for one thing...
for once a years or soo it can manage to get people to actualy pay attention to sciense just a tiny tiny bit...
personaly i think we need more sciense related games shows that would be more effective
ZerqTM 2 years ago
I would have said the same thing about Obama.
MysteryManoLove 2 years ago
This is the most humble man that ever lived.
eyehear10 2 years ago 6
The greatest/smartest people are also the least egotistical.
LeMegasandwich 2 years ago 33
@LeMegasandwich Absolutely NOT true.
mozart20dlubos 1 year ago
@mozart20dlubos eg?
LeMegasandwich 1 year ago
That's probably why he died relatively young - for showing up all the naked emporers that live for those honors.
roell29 2 years ago
That doesn't make any sense. How does him him denying honors affect the age when he died? And also, he was 69 when he died, that's not "relatively young".
eyehear10 2 years ago
If you read the obituaries regularly, you might notice that people who make trouble for the powerful tend to have significantly shorter lifespans. The fact that he had *two* rare forms of cancer raises some red flags. I'm guessing there were some powerful elitists that intensely disliked Feynman for his outspoken anti-elitism. And it is relatively young for someone of his class with access to the best health care. But feel free to count me among the "tin foil hat brigade" if it comforts you.
roell29 2 years ago
So you're suggesting that Feynman's death was perpetrated by the "powerful" because he had two rare forms of cancer?
What evidence do you have for this? Did you not learn anything from Feynman about finding out what's true?
eyehear10 2 years ago
I don't need evidence for a suggestion. If you don't believe such things can be and are induced, here is a quote from a CIA memo way back in 1952 about the cancer-causing effects of beryllium - "This is certainly the most toxic inorganic element and it produces a peculiar fibrotic tumor at the site of local application. The amount necessary to produce these tumors is a few micrograms." The technology for inducing "natural" deaths has presumably progressed by leaps and bounds since then.
roell29 2 years ago
Um, ok... So beryllium is known to be highly toxic and can cause lung cancer.
What's your point? Why did you bring that up? Feynman did not suffer from cancer of the lungs.
eyehear10 2 years ago
To show that there does exist a technology for inducing cancer, among other diseases, and therefore it's not inconceivable that Feynman's cancer was induced. It's also interesting that shortly before his death he served on the Presidential Rogers Commission that investigated the Challenger disaster and "stray[ed] from his usual convention of brief, light-hearted anecdotes to deliver an extended and sober narrative...
roell29 2 years ago
Feynman's account reveals a disconnect between NASA's engineers and executives that was far more striking than he expected. His interviews of NASA's high-ranking managers revealed startling misunderstandings of elementary concepts." (Wikipedia). That's the kind of work and opinion that can shorten your lifespan.
roell29 2 years ago
So far, all you've done is copy and paste irrelevant information. You've shown no evidence to support your claim - instead you've given me a failed attempt at speculation.
I hate to cut this short, but I don't like arguing with people who don't know what they're talking about. I'll have to count you amongst the "tin foil hat brigade"
BTW: According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, the average life expectancy of a male in 1980 was 70.1. Feynman died at 69.
eyehear10 2 years ago
I didn't make any claims - duh. You don't seem to realize that I don't give a crap about the opinion of some young, wannabe academic weenie like yourself.
roell29 2 years ago
If you didn't give a crap, you wouldn't be wasting your time feeding me mindless bullshit.
And you know nothing about my academic background, so keep it to yourself before you get embarrassed on youtube.
eyehear10 2 years ago 2
You're the one that engaged me in a conversation fool. I simply answered your dull-witted questions, you ungrateful little prat.
roell29 2 years ago
Actually, you engaged conversation with me by replying to my first comment with some idiotic conspiracy theory.
And don't flatter yourself, you didn't answer any of my questions. Rather, you attempted to by pasting nonsensical bullshit.
I am ungrateful towards trolls like yourself.
eyehear10 2 years ago
I replied to the last comment that showed up on my screen, to a person who's comment happened to be underneath yours. It had nothing to do with you. And now I will leave you to your foolishness.
roell29 2 years ago
That man was one of the greatest scientists and teachers that ever lived.
-jcr
NSResponder 2 years ago 5
what is "jcr"? and does it really make a difference if you write it or not?
bpclips 2 years ago
My late father used to say, "don't tell me your IQ, show me your I did!" This man is proof of the adage.
chrishoey 2 years ago 4
Obama, meet Feynman
jgrossma 2 years ago 7
The guy was undeniably bright with a healthy dose of common sense.
beaver7216 2 years ago
satre feynman
trandojedi 2 years ago
It takes a genius to see through the bullshit of learned societies of academics.
Austyg 2 years ago 32
@Austyg nah man it takes someone down to earth. like this guy.
donnaholic1987 1 year ago
@Austyg I know, hilarious isn't it?
Zyphet 1 year ago
Neat.
SaganAppreciationSoc 2 years ago
For people who like to be called "Doctor" or tell people their IQ or flaunt their prizes ... they should see this.
Few people deserve honors and prizes more and nobody wants it less than Feynman. And that's all you need to know about artificial honors.
websnarf 2 years ago 7
Most people called 'Doctor' have done the work of discovery he has referred to. He isn't promoting anti-intellectualism here.
lettucemonster 2 years ago 4
hahaha. you actually believe this.
hughugh 2 years ago
You're kind of missing the context here. Feynman is an accomplished physicist who's won prizes and honors and soforth, and he's only talking about not caring about those things within the community of scientists. For one scientist to say to another, "Look at me, I'm better because of my prizes!", this is what he is arguing against. In terms of distinguishing a scientist from a layperson, a title like Doctor is still important.
But people who just go around telling people their IQ are morons.
Atomasmat 2 years ago
But he's referring back to his childhood to before he won such honors.
You should also watch his various other interviews where he shows how he develops this opinion. He does not limit his idea to scientists.
websnarf 2 years ago
The title of Doctor is earned, it is achieved after years of work and then final peer review. It has nothing to do with honors. He's saying honors tell you nothing about the person in the end, because they don't mean anything.
kgelner 2 years ago
A real human with some sort of divinity in his soul. I love this human being.
Muuzip99 2 years ago 6
C'est une honte qu'il n'y ai pas de sous titrage FRANCAIS.
Mastercock12 2 years ago
out of curiosity, may I ask who that friend was? BTW I suggest surely you are joking mr feynman to anyone who wants to enjoy his memories. It was an easy and fun book by him.
zadigjaja 2 years ago 2
he talks but did he decline the nobel prize or not ?
zadigjaja 2 years ago
No, he didn't.
crowcodile 2 years ago 3
so that means that he cared :) as far as i know there are scientists who decline this prize or some others and never give speeches to not become a famous face. I think that would be more consistent as what he says here. I like him anyway though :) so cute.
zadigjaja 2 years ago
He said that it was easier to accept Nobel prize, than to decline it. If he declined the prize, he would become famous anyway. But, I think, he didn't want to explain to everyone why did he do this.
crowcodile 2 years ago 3
he's modest and humble. that's all that matters. which was the essence of this vid's message.
johntkucz 2 years ago
the only thing that i am trying to say is that some people like to be seen as humble as it makes them better than they are. it is easy to say these after you got all the honors you wanted. the humble and modest thing is to be able say these before you get them.
zadigjaja 2 years ago 2
He points out in another part of this movie that to decline it would bring even more publicity than to accept it, and he didn't care much for that.
anfedorov 2 years ago
He did not, the reason why was because he was told by a friend that if he turned it down he would have become much more famous than by simply accepting the award.
vrulg 2 years ago
zadigjaja -- he wanted to, but said it would have become a bigger issue if he declined, which is probably true. Anyway, I agree 100% with his point here, and have since I was a little kid.
ORagnar 2 years ago
I love Feynman.
kimbb12 2 years ago
I think he's incredible, he strikes me as a completely authentic and down to earth person. As they say "the most extraordinary person is the most ordinary person", and he's living proof. It's amazing to just know that people like him have ever lived.
"I've already got the prize, the prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out, the kick of the discovery, the observation other people use it,
those are the real things"
Guard385 2 years ago 2
He's purely amazing.
Saksamarmar 2 years ago
One of the smartest men who ever lived... wow!!!
piddleton 2 years ago
"One of the smartest men who ever lived... wow!!!"
Yup, anyone who has ever read his stuff.. unless they are mentally retarded (and even with mental disabilities some can tell) can see he was one of the smartest to ever live.
averylbrooks 2 years ago
Back before birth control...Feynman used to write the women he seduced/had sex with (He was married as well), a cheque for $500 for them to get an abortion.
He even had shagging broads down to a mathematical equation.
moronpaul 2 years ago
He makes his point very clear !! I hope everybody could agree with him. Our world would be a better place if everybody would think on honors like him.
mkkarkk2 2 years ago 2
It is great for Feynman to think such way but in modern society it is difficult to resist peer pressure of success.
Nobel prize etc help scientists to allow their non-scientist friends appreciate their work effort. It is difficult for laymen to understand modern scientific discoveries' worth. Hence these prizes may be used to signal certain scientists' capability so in order to gain research fundings etc
viewerize 2 years ago 3
I like him
samten54 2 years ago
factual.... but it is sad....
wenjiang1 3 years ago
He's so right... honors really are pointless.
thesimpsons2345 3 years ago
What a friend he would be. Content with the joy of childlike discovery and the pleasure others find in his work. So wise. "There arose an argument among them about which of them was the greatest. Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great."
Chiangmai007 3 years ago 5