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If someone downvoted this because they disagree, I'd like to know why. I didn't downvote this. I'm just now reading the comments. But here's what sticks out to

If someone downvoted this because they disagree, I'd like to know why. I didn't downvote this. I'm just now reading the comments. But here's what sticks out to me: 1) the fine article only briefly mentions Los Alamos, so why did you make such a pointed comment about it? 2) I read Feynman's Surely You're Joking book when it came out and I don't recall him presenting himself as a "major figure" at Los Alamos. He presents himself as more of an "irritant" (like when he went around opening safes). But it's been 35+ years since I read the book and my recollection has faded. 3) There were literally thousands of people at Los Alamos, it was a team effort, Feynman was part of a large team. The big "major figure" that comes to mind is Robert Oppenheimer. His name is mentioned quite a bit more than Feynman's in the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Y https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Y

perl4ever 5y ago
In response to your numbered items: 1) Los Alamos/the Manhattan Project is explicitly claimed to be what the average person thinks Feynman was all about, what his primary contributions were. "Show a video of Richard Feynman, and many will recognize him; ask for some of his essential contributions, and few will know how to respond, beyond his participation in the Manhattan Project during the Second World War, which developed the atomic bomb" Then: "In fact, his collaboration in the nuclear program was the most material of his contributions." I was pointedly dismissing that. 2) Yes, I agree! This is my point. People think he was a major figure though. 3) Yes, I agree! This, again, is my point. He described stuff so vividly, from the top scientists, to the Trinity test, to the feelings of despair after the bomb was used, that despite the fact he wrote about playing games with the censors and the locks, it's easy for people to slide past it and think of him as one of the major scientists. As evidenced by this article saying that they do.

perl4ever 5y ago

In response to your numbered items: 1) Los Alamos/the Manhattan Project is explicitly claimed to be what the average person thinks Feynman was all about, what his primary contributions were. "Show a video of Richard Feynman, and many will recognize him; ask for some of his essential contributions, and few will know how to respond, beyond his participation in the Manhattan Project during the Second World War, which developed the atomic bomb" Then: "In fact, his collaboration in the nuclear program was the most material of his contributions." I was pointedly dismissing that. 2) Yes, I agree! This is my point. People think he was a major figure though. 3) Yes, I agree! This, again, is my point. He described stuff so vividly, from the top scientists, to the Trinity test, to the feelings of despair after the bomb was used, that despite the fact he wrote about playing games with the censors and the locks, it's easy for people to slide past it and think of him as one of the major scientists. As evidenced by this article saying that they do.