What do you care what other people think?

I have finished a book today, titled “What do you care what other people think?” - Further Adventure of a Curious Character by Richard Phillips Feynman. This is very similar to his other book, “Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!” - Adventure of a Curious Character. The narratives are based on Arlene (his first wife). There are some letters of him and letters regarding him. And it contains few of his photographs and few of drawings.

Mostly the book is based on the Challenger investigation known as Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. He portrays everything with his usual witty style. This part is all about big shots. Here he white washes the top management of NASA. Finally he gives his observation on the reliability of the space shuttle.

It has an interesting chapter titled “Afterthoughts”. This chapter is composed of few thoughts that might be correct or not. The main theme is finally he come up with some ideas about “What other people may think?” So you the book title tickle the obvious question “Does he care or not?” Anyway this was not my intention to mention this chapter. There is another interesting part discussed about integrity and profession. He was trying to relate the integrity of different people with their profession. And he did it fine. There is always question which comes first, people lose integrity because of profession or people chose profession because they do not require integrity?

Finally he ends with the old dilemma, why all these are for? Good or Bad? Titled “The Value of Science”. This is mostly a philosophical part talking about science. He comes up with a proverb of Buddhist religion: “To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of the hell”. The key may be dangerous to use but the key obviously has some value. Without the key we cannot enter into the heaven. It is not the key responsible for any of the Heaven or Hell.

We are all sad when we think of the wondrous potentialities human beings seems to have, as contrasted with their small accomplishments. Again and again people have thought that we could do much better. Those of the past saw in the nightmare of their times a dream for the future. We, of their future, see that their dreams, in certain ways surpassed, have in many ways remained dreams. The hopes for the future today are, in good share, those of yesterday.

- Richard Phillips Feynman

Nearly everyone dislikes war. Our dream today is peace. In peace, man can develop best the enormous possibilities he seems to have. But maybe future men will find that peace, too, can be good and bad. Perhaps peaceful men will drink out of boredom. Then perhaps drink will become the great problem which seems to keep man from getting all he thinks he should out of his abilities.

- Richard Phillips Feynman

It is our responsibilities as scientists, knowing the great progress which comes from a satisfactory philosophy of ignorance, the great progress which is the fruit of freedom of thought, to proclaim the value of this freedom; to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed and discussed; and to demand this freedom as our duty to all coming generations.

- Richard Phillips Feynman