Richard Feynman embodied deep curiosity. You don't understand what "first principles" really mean until you listen to a physicist reasoning. It's about going to the end of the world chasing a chain of 'whys'. "Where does fire come from?"

I thought I was crazy until I found Richard Feynman. Feynman was not only among the most brilliant people on earth, but he transmitted something I've never seen in others. Thread with some lessons from his peculiar way of being:

While reading and thinking, there were moments when I felt I was having actual fun. But I doubted myself: "How could I be having fun doing this? Maybe I don't understand fun." It was not until I saw the joy Feynman transmitted that I understood this profound emotion.

Feynman never did anything for the prestige he might get out of it. He didn't even want to receive the Nobel Prize. Richard felt he had already gotten what matters. The prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out.

People think beauty is only about aesthetics. But Feynman believed that there's something beautiful in depth, in understanding processes. Knowledge contributes to beauty. It doesn't subtract from it.

You have enough time to pursue other interests. Don't listen to people who say you need to do only one thing to excel at it. Feynman got a Nobel Prize in physics, but he still pursued other interests to a state worth of admiration. Let's explore a very peculiar one.

Richard didn't know how to express a profound feeling about the beauty of the world through a set of equations, so he began drawing. "It's a feeling of awe -- of scientific awe .. which I felt could be communicated through a drawing to someone who had also had that emotion. I could remind him, for a moment, of this feeling about the glories of the universe" Feynman drew for over 20 years and even sold some of his work.

Charles Darwin was a giant of a man who greatly advanced mankind. But he had one huge regret: Not cultivating his appreciation for poetry and music. "The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness." It might be more about imitating Feynman in this aspect.

There is another real loss in life: The loss of one's sense of humor. It doesn't matter how many labels, prestige, and wisdom you may have. You don't want to go through life without laughing. Feynman was especially known for this. This book compiles some of his funny anecdotes.

How did he get away with all of this? Feynman's ethos was rooted in independent-mindedness. He developed great respect towards his mind and heart. Not caring about what others think is a superpower.

Hope you found this thread interesting and feel free to share if you have! I post about books and interesting things I read. Follow me at @giuliano_mana to start reading more.

“Science doesn’t tell us why the Big Bang happened, how the singularity occurred in the first place, or why it exploded when it did. It tells us there is objective scientific evidence that it occurred. So, what exactly was the Big Bang?” – Book III The Enigmatic Mystery

Fire is stored sunlight. My head just exploded a little!

The same happened to me!

We all ‘know’ plants absorb CO2. But listen to Richard Feynman explaining how “most” of the growth of a tree comes from the air - with only a ‘few minerals’ coming from the ground. Feynman explains how the sun provides solar energy that plants use to split the naturally strong molecular bonds that link carbon and oxygen to make carbon dioxide. Burning wood releases the energy stored. Do climate scientists LISTEN to physicists of Feynman’s intellect? I’m not debating the #greenhouse_effect but trying to understand #weather or #climate without accounting for such interactions is like a left-hander trying to touch-type using only a broken right thumb. #True_Science

A beautiful explanation of the symbiotic relationship of trees and air and sun and fire

It's such a marvelous phenomenon. I knew/know zero about it.