Richard Feynman on critical thinking as a way of life

1965 Physics Nobel Prize winner

Richard Feynman wasn’t just a brilliant physicist—he was one of the 20th century’s most charismatic and clear-eyed thinkers. A Nobel laureate who helped pioneer quantum electrodynamics, he also became famous for his ability to explain the complex in simple, playful terms. Feynman promoted the joy of discovery and the courage to think independently.

His father, Melville, nurtured his son's curiosity by encouraging questions over rote memorization, using everyday experiences to spark deeper thinking. Instead of simply naming things, he explored how they worked, often using stories and analogies to make complex ideas understandable. He provided books like the Encyclopedia Britannica, supported hands-on exploration, and fostered a playful, inquisitive environment. Melville also taught Richard to be skeptical of titles and jargon, emphasizing that true understanding comes from thinking, not just knowing words. By treating his young son as a capable thinker, he instilled in him a lifelong love of learning and discovery.

In the below audio, Richard talks about how his father taught him to think.

Richard studied physics at MIT, earned his Ph.D. at Princeton, and was recruited into the top-secret Manhattan Project, helping to develop the atomic bomb. He taught at Cornell University from 1945 to 1950, then moved to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he remained for the rest of his career.

In 1965, Feynman won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in quantum electrodynamics.

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The Freedom of Not Knowing

Feynman had a humble reverence for the unknown. He saw not knowing as the beginning of real knowledge:

“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”

“I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.”

To him, ignorance wasn’t shameful—it was honest. He criticized the tendency to pretend certainty or cling to dogma. Instead, Feynman championed doubt as a core virtue. For him, truth wasn’t a set of conclusions—it was a journey of humility and experimentation.

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Science as a Way of Thinking

Feynman didn’t define science as a body of knowledge, but as a mindset:

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”

“It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong.”

This self-awareness was central to his thinking. He believed science and critical thinking were grounded not in confidence, but in skepticism—especially skepticism about our own ideas.

He warned against “cargo cult science”—approaches that mimic the appearance of science without its spirit of honesty and rigor. His message to students was simple: be ruthlessly honest with yourself.

What made Feynman especially rare was how much fun he had. Whether exploring art, telling jokes, or solving physics puzzles, he radiated joy. He once wrote:

“Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.”

He didn’t pursue knowledge for status or utility—but for the sheer pleasure of understanding the world a little more deeply. To Feynman, science wasn’t elite or distant. It was deeply human: a playful, messy, thrilling adventure into the unknown.

Feynman in Action

• In 1986, Feynman was appointed to the Rogers Commission investigating the Challenger space shuttle disaster. While others spoke in technical jargon, Feynman performed a simple, brilliant demonstration: he dropped a piece of O-ring material—used in the shuttle’s booster—into a glass of ice water to show how it became brittle in cold temperatures. This made the connection between the material’s failure and the tragedy strikingly clear. His straightforward approach cut through the politics and underscored the power of observation and clear thinking.

• Feynman developed an interest in drawing and painting, despite having no formal training. He pursued it out of sheer curiosity, eventually selling some of his artwork under the pseudonym “Ofey.” For him, learning wasn’t confined to physics—exploring new fields sharpened his mind and deepened his perception.

• During his time at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project, Feynman became intrigued by the safes used to store classified documents. Driven by curiosity and a playful spirit, he taught himself to crack them—sometimes through deduction, other times by spotting patterns like common combinations based on birthdays. On one occasion, he left a note in a supposedly secure safe that read: “I could have stolen these papers.”

• Feynman used probability to answer all questions, including those about the existence of God. He rewrote the question “Is there (or isn’t there) God?” to ‘How sure can we be that there is (or isn’t) a God?”

  While an avowed atheist, he said there was no inconsistency between believing in science and believing in God. He said he disagreed with scientists who believed in God but not that they were wrong, and explained how and why he appreciated and understood how they could and did hold the two beliefs and that holding the two beliefs can be logically consistent.

  He exemplified a learned person who both has firm beliefs and is able to see beyond them and in perspective, and even argue how beliefs opposing his can be legitimate and sound.