The Meaning of It All

“Feynman was a stranger to pomposity, and there’s some splendid stuff here. Perhaps the most striking thing is his rare appreciation of the deep connections linking science and democracy.”

“Richard Feynman was a man of many reputations: brilliant physicist, charismatic teacher, irrepressible raconteur, and…unforgettable character…When Feynman describes the scientist as an acrobat walking ‘beautiful tightropes of logic,’ we understand how a generation of young physicists might have been drawn to follow this brilliant Pied Piper out onto the wire, high above the crowd.”

“Feynman’s voice and personality come through clearly. He talks about real people and their problems, not about philosophical abstractions. He is interested in religion as a way for people to make sense of their lives, but he is not interested in theology.”

“It requires an unusually strong intellect to remain relevant on a wide variety of social, religious and political issues after thirty-five years. Feynman, a Nobel Prize–winning physicist, had just such an intellect…These memorable lectures confirm that Feynman’s gift of insight extended from the subatomic world to the cosmic, and to the very human as well.”

“Now a new generation of readers can sample vintage Feynman on science, religion, morals, and politics. The voice—plain, no-nonsense—is unmistakable; the ideas, too, will be familiar: Feynman is ever the honest and passionate spokesman for science…One of the charms of the late Feynman is that, in his passion to explain, he opened his extraordinary mind to full view by the audience. In this case the audience can and should include students of all ages.”