THE PLEASURE OF FINDING THINGS OUT

Richard Feynman
Central Theme:
The Greatest Danger to
Modern Society
Relation of Scientific
Culture to Society Application of Science
Ideas and Techniques of
Scientific Investigation

Matter of Judging Evidence

You must not know the

DOUBT UNCERTAINTY
ANSWER.

Record the Results in a A Scientist is never

Look for EVIDENCE.
DISINTERESTED WAY. certain

JUDGE the Evidence.

Notes: “It is our capacity to doubt that will determine the future of civilization.”

Relation of Scientific Culture to Society

I. Central Theme
• One of the greatest dangers to modern society is the possible resurgence and expansion of the ideas of thought control.
I. Application of Science
• Science creates power through its knowledge, a power to do things.
• Science does not give instructions with its power as to how to do good against how to do evil.
• Application of Science is just the power to do; it is independent of what you do with it.
II. Knowledge
• The purpose of knowledge is to appreciate wonders even more.
• The knowledge is just to put into correct framework the wonder that nature is.
II. Other Aspect of Science
• Ideas and Techniques of Scientific Investigation
A. Matter of Judging Evidence
1. You must not know the answer.
- You begin by being uncertain as to what the answer is. The question of doubt and uncertainty is what is necessary to begin, for if
you already know the answer there is no need to gather any evidence about it.
2. Look for evidence.
- Begin with trials. Put together ideas to try to enforce a logical consistency among various things that you know.
3. Judge the Evidence.
- It is not right to pick only what you like, but to take all of the evidence, to try to maintain some objectivity about the thing.
- Authority may be a hint as to what the truth is, but it is not the source of information. As long as it’s possible, we should disregard
authority whenever the observations disagree with it.
4. Record the results in a disinterested way.
- Do not report the result in such a way as to try to influence the reader into an idea that’s different than what the evidence indicates.
- So that the other person is free to understand precisely what you are saying, and as nearly as possible not covering it with your
desires. This is a thing which helps each of us to understand each other, in fact to develop in a way that isn’t personally in our own
interest, but for the general development of ideas.
 In judging the evidence, the reporting of evidence and so on, there is a kind of responsibility which the scientists feel toward each other
which you can represent as a kind of morality
Scientists are never certain.
 They work in hidden secret laboratories trying to develop, as best as they can, diseases which the other man can’t cure.

The power of Doubt and Uncertainty

 The freedom to doubt is absolutely essential for the development of the sciences.
 Statements are approximate statements with different degrees of certainty. That when a statement is made, the question is not whether it is
true or false but rather how likely it is to be true or false.
 Must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning.
 To decide upon the answer is not scientific. In order to make progress, one must leave the door to the unknown ajar- ajar only.
 There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for uncertainty. But there is no certainty.
 Without doubt, we will be chained then to the limits of our present imagination. Whereas, if we leave always some room for doubt, some room
for discussion and proceed in a way analogous to the sciences, then this difficulty will not arise.
 The power of government should be limited; that governments ought not to be empowered to decide the validity of scientific theories. Only in
this way can the real possibilities of the future human race be ultimately be developed.