The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist

(Paperback)

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Many appreciate Richard P. Feynmans contributions to twentieth-century physics, but few realize how engaged he was with the world around himhow deeply and thoughtfully he considered the religious, political, and social issues of his day. Now, a wonderful bookbased on a previously unpublished, three-part public lecture he gave at the University of Washington in 1963shows us this other side of Feynman, as he expounds on the inherent conflict between science and religion, peoples distrust of politicians, and our universal fascination with flying saucers, faith healing, and mental telepathy. Here we see Feynman in top form: nearly bursting into a Navajo war chant, then pressing for an overhaul of the English language (if you want to know why Johnny cant read, just look at the spelling of friend); and, finally, ruminating on the death of his first wife from tuberculosis. This is quintessential Feynmanreflective, amusing, and ever enlightening.

Author Bio

Richard P. Feynman was raised in Far Rockaway, New York, and received his Ph.D. from Princeton. He held professorships at both Cornell and the California Institute of Technology. In 1965 he received the Nobel Prize for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He died in 1988.