3 ms·

I like, and respect t Feynman, but feel most of his stories are a humble brag. I can only take so much of his writing. On a psychological level, I have though

I like, and respect t Feynman, but feel most of his stories are a humble brag. I can only take so much of his writing. On a psychological level, I have thought about it over the years, and come up empty. I probally don't know enough about the man. What got me thinking about it was one of his stories about the kid who could tell you what's wrong with your radio with his hearing. I understand needing to protect your ego later in life when you didn't get the respect you deserved. In the stories, the trait started very young. And maybe I'm completely mistaken? It just might be his way writing that has me wondering?

leephillips 5y ago
I get the opposite impression. The facts of many of these anecdotes would force you to believe that he must have unfathomable genius. But he honestly seems to believe that luck played a huge role; sometimes, the only role. I remember one story where someone puts a huge blueprint in front of him of some kind of plumbing installation of immense complexity. It’s not working right. He feels overwhelmed, so, just to have something to say, he points at random at a valve and asks what it does. That turned out to be the key that let them solve the issue. He thinks this is just blind luck, because he had no idea what anything did in the diagram. I think it’s more likely that his genius subconscious saw something.
- whoaisme 5y ago
  "He thinks this is just blind luck, because he had no idea what anything did in the diagram. I think it’s more likely that his genius subconscious saw something." Reading your comments gives me a better understanding of how cults of personalities are a thing.
- wolfgang42 5y ago
  I agree with you except for that last sentence—but in that anecdote he didn’t even know if the symbol he was pointing at was supposed to be a valve or a window. I think a much more likely explanation is just selection bias: if he’d asked “what happened if this valve gets stuck?” and they’d replied “oh, this pressure release over here will activate” the anecdote would have simply been too boring to make it into the book. Take the “best of” anecdotes from a busy lifetime and add a flair for storytelling and of course you’ll get an inflated view; the alternative would be a lot less likely to produce discussions on HN.

leephillips 5y ago

I get the opposite impression. The facts of many of these anecdotes would force you to believe that he must have unfathomable genius. But he honestly seems to believe that luck played a huge role; sometimes, the only role. I remember one story where someone puts a huge blueprint in front of him of some kind of plumbing installation of immense complexity. It’s not working right. He feels overwhelmed, so, just to have something to say, he points at random at a valve and asks what it does. That turned out to be the key that let them solve the issue. He thinks this is just blind luck, because he had no idea what anything did in the diagram. I think it’s more likely that his genius subconscious saw something.

whoaisme 5y ago
"He thinks this is just blind luck, because he had no idea what anything did in the diagram. I think it’s more likely that his genius subconscious saw something." Reading your comments gives me a better understanding of how cults of personalities are a thing.
wolfgang42 5y ago
I agree with you except for that last sentence—but in that anecdote he didn’t even know if the symbol he was pointing at was supposed to be a valve or a window. I think a much more likely explanation is just selection bias: if he’d asked “what happened if this valve gets stuck?” and they’d replied “oh, this pressure release over here will activate” the anecdote would have simply been too boring to make it into the book. Take the “best of” anecdotes from a busy lifetime and add a flair for storytelling and of course you’ll get an inflated view; the alternative would be a lot less likely to produce discussions on HN.