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⚫ }}'''''"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character''''' is an edited collection of reminiscences by the ]–winning physicist ]. 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 partner ].
}}

⚫ '''''"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character''''' is an edited collection of reminiscences by the ]-winning physicist ]. The book, released 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 partner ].


==Summary== ==Summary==
The book has many stories which are lighthearted in tone, such as his fascination with ], studying various languages, participating with groups of people who share different interests (such as biology or philosophy), and ventures into art and ] music. The book has many stories which are lighthearted in tone, such as his fascination with ], studying various languages, participating with groups of people who share different interests (such as biology or philosophy), and ventures into art and ] music.


Other stories cover more serious material, including his work on the ] (during which his first wife Arline Greenbaum<!-- See talk page re: Arlene vs. Arline--> died of ]) and his critique of the science ]. The section "Monster Minds" describes his slightly nervous presentation of his graduate work on the ] in front of ], ], ], ], and other major scientists of the time. Other stories cover more serious material, including his work on the ] (during which his first wife, Arline<!-- See talk page re: Arlene vs. Arline-->, died of ]) and his critique of the science ]. The section "Monster Minds" describes his slightly nervous presentation of his graduate work on the ] in front of ], ], ], ], and other major scientists of the time.


The anecdotes were edited from ] conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner ]. Its surprise success led to a sequel, '']'', also taken from Leighton's taped conversations. ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'' became a national bestseller.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwnorton.com/books/Surely-Youre-Joking-Mr-Feynman/|title=Overview of ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!''| website= wwnorton.com | publisher= W. W. Norton & Company| date= | access-date= }}</ref> The anecdotes were edited from ] conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner ]. Its surprise success led to a sequel, '']'', also taken from Leighton's taped conversations. ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'' became a national bestseller.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwnorton.com/books/Surely-Youre-Joking-Mr-Feynman/|title=Overview of ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!''|website=wwnorton.com|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|date=|access-date=|archive-date=2019-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115174149/https://wwnorton.com/books/Surely-Youre-Joking-Mr-Feynman/|url-status=live}}</ref>


⚫ The book's title is taken from a comment made by a woman at ] after Feynman asked for both cream and lemon in his tea, not being familiar with the proper etiquette.<ref name="syj">{{Cite book
The closing chapter, "]," is adapted from the address that Feynman gave during the 1974 commencement exercises at the California Institute of Technology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Feynman|first=Richard|date= 1974| title= Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! | chapter= Cargo Cult Science| chapter-url= http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-19|via=calteches.library.caltech.edu}}</ref>

⚫ The book's title derives from a woman's response at ] when, after she asked the newly-arrived Feynman if he wanted cream or lemon in his tea, he absentmindedly requested both.<ref>{{Cite book
| last = Feynman | last = Feynman
| first = Richard | first = Richard
Line 44: Line 40:
| year = 1997 | year = 1997
| page = | page =
| via= Google Books
| isbn = 978-0-393-31604-9}}</ref> | isbn = 978-0-393-31604-9}}</ref>


The final chapter, "Cargo Cult Science," was adapted from Feynman's 1974 commencement address at the California Institute of Technology,<ref name="speech">{{cite web |last=Feynman |first=Richard P. |author-link=Richard Feynman |date=June 1974 |title=Cargo Cult Science |url=http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |access-date=2015-10-25 |website=]}}</ref> 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 the ] 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. Similarly, he argued, adopting the appearances of scientific investigation without a self-critical attitude will fail to produce reliable results.<ref name="syj"/>
===The "You Just ''Ask'' Them?" chapter===

Feynman has been criticized by some for a chapter in the book. In "You Just ''Ask'' Them?", he describes how he learned to seduce women at a bar he went to in mid-1946. A mentor taught him to ask a woman if she would sleep with him before buying her anything. He describes seeing women at the bar as "bitches" in his thoughts, and tells a story of how he told a woman named Ann that "You are worse than a whore" after Ann convinced him to buy her sandwiches by telling him he would eat them at her place, but then, after he bought them, saying they actually couldn't eat together because another man was coming over; later on that same evening Ann returned to the bar to take Feynman to her place.<ref>{{cite book| title= Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!| chapter= You Just <u>Ask</u> Them?| first= Richard |last= Feynman |year= 1985| publisher= }}</ref>{{sfn|Gleick|1992|pp=287–91 and 341–45}}| <ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/opinion/urry-women-science/index.html |title= Male scientists, don't harass young female colleagues| first= Meg |last= Urry | website= CNN.com| date= August 9, 2014| access-date= May 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/10/lawrence-krauss-sexual-misconduct-me-too-arizona-state/573844/ |title= Lawrence Krauss and the Legacy of Harassment in Science| first= Marina |last= Koren |work= ]| date= October 24, 2018| access-date= May 14, 2021}}</ref> Feynman states at the end of the chapter that this behaviour wasn't typical of him: "So it worked even with an ordinary girl! But no matter how effective the lesson was, I never really used it after that. I didn't enjoy doing it that way. But it was interesting to know that things worked much differently from how I was brought up."<ref>{{Cite book
==Reception==
| last = Feynman
Feynman's "cargo cult" metaphor was used by ] in his criticism of social science and ] in particular. In the first part of his book, '']'', Witkowski asks "Is Psychology a Cargo Cult Science?", pointing out that the growth in the number of psychologists world wide has been parallel with a decrease in mental health.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Witkowski |first1=Tomasz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jmC8DAAAQBAJ |title=Psychology Led Astray: Cargo Cult in Science and Therapy |date=2016 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-62734-609-2}}</ref>{{rp|25}} He also points to other articles applying the cargo cult metaphor to criticize social sciences.
| first = Richard
| title = Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
| publisher = W. W. Norton & Company
| year = 1997
| page =
| via= Google Books
| isbn = 978-0-393-31604-9}}</ref>


⚫ ] was upset by Feynman's account in the book of the weak interaction work, and threatened to sue, resulting in a correction being inserted in later editions.<ref>{{cite news |author-link=George Johnson (writer) |first=George |last=Johnson |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/07/the-jaguar-and-the-fox/378264/ |title=The Jaguar and the Fox |newspaper=] |date=July 2001 |access-date=July 16, 2016 |archive-date=May 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505210036/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/07/the-jaguar-and-the-fox/378264/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Murray Gell-Mann’s reaction ==


Feynman was criticized for a chapter titled "You Just ''Ask'' Them?" where he recounts attempting to pick up a woman, insulting her after she refuses his advances.{{sfn|Gleick|1992|pp=287–291, 341–345}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/opinion/urry-women-science/index.html |title=Male scientists, don't harass young female colleagues |first=Meg |last=Urry |website=CNN.com |date=August 9, 2014 |access-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615084908/https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/opinion/urry-women-science/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McNeill |first=Leila |date=2019 |title=Surely You're a Creep, Mr. Feynman: On toxic moral license and the mythos of male scientific genius |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26564967 |magazine=The Baffler |pages=112–117 |issue=43 |doi=10.2307/26564967 |issn=1059-9789}}</ref> Feynman states at the end of the chapter that this behavior was not typical.
⚫ ] was upset by Feynman's account in the book of the weak interaction work, and threatened to sue, resulting in a correction being inserted in later editions. This incident was just the latest provocation in decades of bad feeling between the two scientists. Gell-Mann often expressed frustration at the attention Feynman received;<ref>{{cite news |author-link=George Johnson (writer) |first=George |last=Johnson |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/07/the-jaguar-and-the-fox/378264/ |title=The Jaguar and the Fox |newspaper=] |date= July 2001 |access-date=July 16, 2016 }}</ref> he remarked: " was a great scientist, but he spent a great deal of his effort generating anecdotes about himself."<ref name="Gell-Mann">{{youtube|rnMsgxIIQEE|title=Murray Gell-Mann talks about Richard Feynman in January 12, 2012 }}</ref>


==Publication data== ==Publication data==
* ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character'', Richard Feynman, Ralph Leighton (contributor), Edward Hutchings (editor), 1985, W. W. Norton, {{ISBN|0-393-01921-7}}, 1997 paperback: {{ISBN|0-393-31604-1}}, 2002 Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged ]: {{ISBN|0-7861-2218-8}} * ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character'', Richard Feynman, Ralph Leighton (contributor), Edward Hutchings (editor), 1985, W. W. Norton, {{ISBN|0-393-01921-7}}, 1997 paperback: {{ISBN|0-393-31604-1}}, 2002 Blackstone Audiobooks unabridged ]: {{ISBN|0-7861-2218-8}}


==See also== ==Citations==
{{reflist}}
* ]


*{{Cite book|title=Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman|last=Gleick|first=James |date=1992 |publisher= ]| isbn = 0679747044}}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}


== External links == == External links ==

Latest revision as of 01:12, 30 November 2024

1985 autobiographical book by Richard Feynman
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
First edition
AuthorRalph Leighton and Richard Feynman
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPhysics
GenreAutobiography, Biography, Non-fiction
PublisherW.W. Norton (US)
Publication date1985 (US)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover & Paperback) also Audio book
Pages350 p. (US hardcover edition) & 322 p. (US paperback edition)
ISBN0-393-01921-7 (US hardcover edition)
OCLC10925248
Dewey Decimal530/.092/4 B 19
LC ClassQC16.F49 A37 1985
Followed byWhat 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 the Nobel Prize–winning physicist Richard 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 partner Ralph Leighton.

Summary

The book has many stories which are lighthearted in tone, such as his fascination with safe-cracking, studying various languages, participating with groups of people who share different interests (such as biology or philosophy), and ventures into art and samba music.

Other stories cover more serious material, including his work on the Manhattan Project (during which his first wife, Arline, died of tuberculosis) and his critique of the science education system in Brazil. The section "Monster Minds" describes his slightly nervous presentation of his graduate work on the Wheeler–Feynman absorber theory in front of Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Pauli, Henry Norris Russell, John von Neumann, and other major scientists of the time.

The anecdotes were edited from taped conversations that Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner Ralph 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.

The book's title is taken from a comment made by a woman at Princeton University after Feynman asked for both cream and lemon in his tea, not being familiar with the proper etiquette.

The final chapter, "Cargo Cult Science," was adapted from Feynman's 1974 commencement address at the California Institute of Technology, 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 the cargo 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. Similarly, he argued, adopting the appearances of scientific investigation without a self-critical attitude will fail to produce reliable results.

Reception

Feynman's "cargo cult" metaphor was used by Tomasz Witkowski in his criticism of social science and psychology in particular. In the first part of his book, Psychology Led Astray, Witkowski asks "Is Psychology a Cargo Cult Science?", pointing out that the growth in the number of psychologists world wide has been parallel with a decrease in mental health. He also points to other articles applying the cargo cult metaphor to criticize social sciences.

Murray Gell-Mann was upset by Feynman's account in the book of the weak interaction work, and threatened to sue, resulting in a correction being inserted in later editions.

Feynman was criticized for a chapter titled "You Just Ask Them?" where he recounts attempting to pick up a woman, insulting her after she refuses his advances. Feynman states at the end of the chapter that this behavior was not typical.

Publication data

Citations

  1. "Overview of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!". wwnorton.com. W. W. Norton & Company. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15.
  2. ^ Feynman, Richard (1997). Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-393-31604-9.
  3. Feynman, Richard P. (June 1974). "Cargo Cult Science" (PDF). California Institute of Technology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  4. Witkowski, Tomasz (2016). Psychology Led Astray: Cargo Cult in Science and Therapy. Universal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-62734-609-2.
  5. Johnson, George (July 2001). "The Jaguar and the Fox". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  6. Gleick 1992, pp. 287–291, 341–345.
  7. Urry, Meg (August 9, 2014). "Male scientists, don't harass young female colleagues". CNN.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  8. McNeill, Leila (2019). "Surely You're a Creep, Mr. Feynman: On toxic moral license and the mythos of male scientific genius". The Baffler. No. 43. pp. 112–117. doi:10.2307/26564967. ISSN 1059-9789.

External links

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