Notes on What Do You Care What Other People Think by Richard Feynman

A few years ago, I read Richard Feynman's Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and really liked it. So I knew I wanted to check out his follow-up book of stories, What Do You Care What Other People Think. The title is a big lesson that I think I could really internalize, so I was intrigued.

Like the previous book, I found this one filled with funny and thought-provoking stories from Feynman's "adventures." I really like how he writes about facts, direct observations, and doesn't do a lot of judging or philosophizing in the middle of the stories. He leaves it to the reader to decide for him or herself. There are parts of the book where he expresses his love of science and why he thinks it matters (like in the "The Value of Science"), but even in these he gives lots of stories and arguments that are persuasive and give the reader a really nice inside view into how he thinks.

I was intrigued by the stories of his childhood, how he got interested in science, and the role his dad played in inspiring his curiosity and getting him to keep asking tough and stupid questions that others were afraid to do and to seek to really understand what some word or concept really means with respect to the world directly around him. I liked when he described the real world and nature as so amazing and mysterious that there is no need to seek anything more amazing outside of the physical world.

I like how he enjoyed exploring the world, visiting parts of the city that are off the beaten path, talking directly to engineers and workers instead of managers, and preferring asking questions and solving problems over worrying about politics and bureaucracy.

Overall, I found his stories intriguing and the way he approached the world (and writing) has many elements I'd love to incorporate myself.

---