- “Nothing will come of nothing.”
(William Shakespeare, King Lear)
“Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed.” (Blaise Pascal, Pensées, The Misery of Man Without God)
“The… ‘lumniferous ether’ will prove to be superfluous as the view to be developed here will eliminate [the condition of] absolute rest in space.” (Albert Einstein, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies)
That is a powerful statement to make. Feynman is one of the most interesting people, I really need to get around to reading Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!.In his talk, Feynman made the point that before publishing any scientific results, we should think of all the possible ways that we could be wrong. “The first principle” he said, “is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”
I haven't read much about or by Feynman but I've watched some interviews etc and from what I've seen, I'm certain that I'd enjoy finding out more/reading more of his less technical writings.
I'd highly recommend Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, it is one of my favorite books.
Holy Epicurus Batman! It is interesting how Mr. Lightman has come to the same conclusion that was reached by Epicurus centuries ago, yet followed very different lines of thought. I am always fascinated by using different paths to reach the same answer. As always, a quality article from Nautilus. I am beginning to consider subscribing to their print quarterly.And here is the point I have reached: I might as well live in such a way as to maximize my pleasure and minimize my pain. Accordingly, I try to eat delicious food, to support my family, to create beautiful things, and to help those less fortunate than myself because those activities bring me pleasure. Likewise, I try to avoid leading a dull life, to avoid personal anarchy, and to avoid hurting others because those activities bring me pain. That is how I should live.