Richard Feynman
// February 20th, 2007 // Leadership Development
I just finished a series of four lectures on quantum physics, given in plain(ish) English by the incredible Dr Richard Feynman (1918–1988). Feynman’s genius won him the Nobel prize for physics, saw him publishing revelatory dissenting opinion while investigating the Challenger disaster and publicly envisioning nano-technology in the 50′s.
His engaging, authentic and accessible style made him a legendary lecturer and watching him speak in this series is a pleasure in itself, let alone the fact that he makes one of the most complex aspects of our physical reality comprehensible for the non-scientist.
I’ve never been able to figure out how to explain Quantum Electro Dynamics and I thought that this was an opportunity to try a poor, unhappy audience to see whether it was at all possible to explain this subject in a finite number of lectures. And I chose to come to a part of the world as far distant as possible from my home so that if I were not quite successful I wouldn’t have to suffer so directly.
Richard Feynman, University of Auckland, 1979.
“The Pleasure of Finding Things Out” is a 50 minute interview with him in later life, revealing much of his history and life philosophy, available on GoogleVideo. His blackboards at his death.
“I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things; by being lost in a mysterious universe without any purpose — which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn’t frighten me.”
Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Thanks for posting these links Arthur. I’ve long enjoyed reading Feynman’s works (I started with the book version of ‘The Pleasure of Finding Things Out’, one of my favourites) but had never actually seen the lectures in video before. I look forward to watching them.
No probs mate. Glad you’re enjoying the genius too.