3 ms·
Taking a look back at the book, I think you're right. They are misrepresenting him in this one quote. He was referring to the gross mindset he was trying out.
by djaque 6y ago
Taking a look back at the book, I think you're right. They are misrepresenting him in this one quote. He was referring to the gross mindset he was trying out.
On the other hand, I'm in one of the departments Feynman had an appointment with for a few years. Some of the older faculty overlapped with him and have fun stories to share. However, one of the lasting memories of his stay was how he was predatory towards the undergraduate women. In fact, it was to the point that some people speculate that he was forced to the leave the department after sleeping with too many of his students.
I still look up to Feynman for his science, but there were some real problems with how he treated women. Even if the article didn't do a great job of presenting the evidence for it. Besides Surely you're Joking is Feynman as portrayed by Feynman. He's famously a showman and isn't going to create an image of himself in the book that he doesn't think is likeable. Interestingly, from what I remember reading, he also did a lot to support the female scientists in his life including his sister.
- ramraj07 6y agoIs there any evidence or reporting to this end? This seems quite the fact (other than him choking his wife) and would love to learn more about.
- djaque 6y agoMy knowledge of it is just through department oral history. I did some googling though and apparently his time at Cornell is talked about in Lawrence Krauss's biography "Quantum Man". Here's a brief review of it [1]. Apparently as a professor he would pretend to be an undergrad to sleep with students. He also apparently slept with the wives of multiple faculty (I might have remembered it wrong and this was the reason he was rumored to have been forced to leave over). [1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/quantum-man-richard-feynman-review https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/quantum-man-...