 First edition | |
| Author | Ralph Leighton andRichard Feynman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Physics |
| Genre | Autobiography, Biography, Non-fiction |
| Publisher | W.W. Norton (US) |
Publication date | 1985 (US) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover &Paperback) also Audio book |
| Pages | 350 p. (US hardcover edition) & 322 p. (US paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 0-393-01921-7 (US hardcover edition) |
| OCLC | 10925248 |
| 530/.092/4 B 19 | |
| LC Class | QC16.F49 A37 1985 |
| Followed by | What Do You Care What Other People Think? |
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character is an edited collection of reminiscences by theNobel Prize–winning physicistRichard Feynman. The book, published in 1985, covers a variety of instances in Feynman's life. The anecdotes in the book are based on recorded audio conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partnerRalph Leighton.
The book has many stories which are lighthearted in tone, such as his fascination withsafe-cracking, studying various languages, participating with groups of people who share different interests (such as biology or philosophy), and ventures into art andsamba music.
Other stories cover more serious material, including his work on theManhattan Project (during which his first wife, Arline, died oftuberculosis) and his critique of the scienceeducation system in Brazil. The section "Monster Minds" describes his slightly nervous presentation of his graduate work on theWheeler–Feynman absorber theory in front ofAlbert Einstein,Wolfgang Pauli,Henry Norris Russell,John von Neumann, and other major scientists of the time.
The anecdotes were edited fromtaped conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partnerRalph Leighton. Its surprise success led to a sequel,What Do You Care What Other People Think?, also taken from Leighton's taped conversations.Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! became a national bestseller.[1]
The book's title is taken from a comment made by a woman atPrinceton University after Feynman asked for both cream and lemon in his tea, a combination that would just curdle the cream.[2]: 60
The final chapter, "Cargo Cult Science", was adapted from Feynman's 1974 commencement address at the California Institute of Technology,[3] in which he cautioned graduates not to minimize the weaknesses of their research in the pursuit of a preferred conclusion. He drew an analogy to thecargo cult phenomenon in the South Pacific Ocean in which, as he understood it, islanders built a mock airstrip to cause airplanes loaded with imported goods to land. The cargo cult islanders carved headphones from wood and wore them while sitting in handmade lashed-up control towers. They waved landing signals to conjure the cargo planes out of the sky.[4]: 1h43m
Similarly, he argued, adopting the appearances of scientific investigation without a self-critical attitude will fail to produce reliable results.Feynman used the term "cargo cult" to describe situations where people focus on superficial aspects of a process without understanding the underlying principles.[2]: 338
Feynman's "cargo cult" metaphor was used byTomasz Witkowski in his criticism of social science andpsychology in particular. In the first part of his bookPsychology Led Astray, Witkowski asks "Is Psychology a Cargo Cult Science?", pointing out that the growth in the number of psychologists worldwide has been parallel with a decrease in mental health.[5]: 25 He also points to other articles and applies the cargo cult metaphor to criticize social sciences.
Murray Gell-Mann was upset by Feynman's account in the book of theweak-interaction work and threatened to sue, resulting in a correction being inserted in later editions.[6]
Feynman was criticized for a chapter titled "You JustAsk Them?" where he recounts attempting to pick up a woman, insulting her after she refuses his advances.[7][8][9] Feynman states at the end of the chapter that this behavior was not typical.
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Quotations related toRichard Feynman at Wikiquote