a
poet
once
said
‌
A p oet once said …
"I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring." Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) was a Nobel Prize winning American physicist. His rare combination of intellectual dexterity and unorthodox wisdom garnered him a place as both a scientific and cultural icon. During his prolific scientific career, Feynman made novel contributions to an array of subjects including quantum electrodynamics, nanotechnology, superfluidity, and quantum computing. In addition, he was involved with the Manhattan Project in developing the atomic bomb, served on the panel investigating the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, and held a longstanding professorship at the California Institute of Technology.
Having no patience for societal or academic division, Feynman eagerly participated in a variety of scholarly and personal endeavors without pretension or reserve. He believed that all subject matter were part of the fabric of human experience and all were equally worthy of exploration. Feynman’s eccentric methods and interests led him to play the frigideira in Brazil’s Carnivale, calculate complex physics problems on strip club paper napkins, play bongos for a ballet production in San Francisco, and learn life drawing/painting at the ripe age of 40. With humility and integrity, his capacity as a spirited educator garnered him the rare ability to evoke awe and appreciation in whatever he discussed. While some of his scientific peers considered him boorish and uncouth, he maintained an admiration for the immensity of life, holding dear the notion that his time on Earth was precarious and short.
Large quotes by R. P. Feynman Small words by Maggie Chok Design + Compilation: www.maggiechok.com Typeset in Akzidenz Grotesk and Officina Sans. Printed on Cougar 110lb cover and Enviro100 60lb text. Much thanks to JK, PY, and CT. A Pool Publishing endeavour: www.poolpublishing.com
While Feynman sustained a fruitful scientific career, it was his extraordinary approach to both life and scholarship that established him as an memorable and inspiring icon. "Study hard, what interests you the most, in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible."—R.P.F.
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We will probably
never k now
in what s ens e 01
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01 GETT I NG∙O F∙W I SDO M Feynman created memorable teachings that elicited consideration and respect. Using his personality as a vehicle, he maintained and promoted the human experience in learning with unorthodox methods that were as succinct as they were unforgettable. “There were 183 of us freshmen, and a bowling ball hanging from the threestory ceiling to just above the floor. Feynman walked in and, without a word, grabbed the ball and backed against the wall with the ball touching his nose. He let go, and the ball swung slowly 60 feet across the room and back—stopping naturally just short of crushing his face. Then he took the ball again, stepped forward, and said: “I wanted to show you that I believe in what I’m going to teach you over the next two years.“ —Michael Scott (March 12, 1989)
he meant t hat ,
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poets not
write to be
under-
stood.
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B ut it is t rue t hat if we look at a
glas s of wine clos ely enough
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There are the things of physics: 02
the
(t wis t ing liquid)
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02 ON∙AWARENESS∙O F∙ P H Y S ICA L I T Y The presence and particularities of a glass of wine are made aware by our brain’s ability to observe and acknowledge basic physical phenomena.
which evap orate s dep ending on t he
We are witness to the instantaneous absorption and reflection of various frequencies of white light as they hit the liquid in the glass. The reflected frequencies are received by our eyes and interpreted by our brain as a deep shade of red. Swilling the wine gives the molecules kinetic energy allowing the top layer to evaporate into a gas. These airborne entities enter our nostrils and give our brains the aroma, acidity, and balance, of the wine’s notes.
wind and weather
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t he refle c t ions
in t he glas s
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and s.
our m
imagination o adds t the a 15
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( glas s)
is a (dis t illat ion)
of the Earth's (rock s)
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and in it s comp osit ion
we s e e t he s e cret s
of t he univer s e's
age ,
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the evolution 03
r s
of the
a
s t
03 ATO M S∙W I TH∙A∙B I L L I ON Y EARS∙O F∙E X P ER I ENCE Silica, the main component in glass, is a heavy element like many others that compose the Earth, the galaxies, and all living material including ourselves. The manufacture of a heavy element is only possible under the immense pressure and intensity in the centre of an exploding star. A supernova is the act of a star collapsing under its own gravity, imploding, and casting its stellar material across vast distances of space. These scattered components, including a wide variety of heavy elements, amalgamate with other stellar material to create new star systems and planets. This material forms the building blocks for all inanimate and animate material as we know it—the Earth, our bodies, and the glass vessels that carry wine.
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W hat s t range arrays of chemicals are in t he wine?
H ow did t hey come to be? RICHARD P.
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the
04
f
erments
e
nyzmes
s
ubstrates
p
roducts
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04 NOT-SO - OB V I O U S∙H I STOR I ES Fermentation is an essential process that allowed some of the first microorganisms to obtain energy from their environments. This ability to extract sustenance from external material is the basis of all organic processes on Earth. In the production of wine, yeast is both catalyst and mediator in a series of reactions that converts glucose into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Although the ingredients and products may differ, fermentation (and other metabolic processes) allow all living entities to sustain themselves and identify as being ‘alive’.
the
the
and the . RICHARD P.
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There in wine is found t he
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great generalizat ion:
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Nobody can the
discover
chemistry of wine
without
discovering
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as did L ouis Pas teur,
the cause of much disease. 27
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H ow vivid is t he claret ,
pre s sing it s exis tence
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05 GROWN∙TO∙CONSC I O U SNESS A glass of wine is not only proof of intelligence in its invention and manufacture, but also proof of sentience in its witness and appreciation. Like all products of human endeavor, they are indicative of our evolved ability to experience, manipulate, and articulate the world around us. Without our ability to think and feel, there would not be a mind to produce wine, nor the consciousness to enjoy it.
into t he cons ciousne s s t hat watche s it . 05
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30
(small minds)
for some (convenience)
divide this ( glas s of wine)
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06 RE - E X A M I N I NG∙AND∙ RE - A L I GN I NG∙P ERCE P T I ON The superfluous and self-inflicted boundaries we place upon ourselves in education, as well as society, are dangerous and inhibiting. Feynman often claimed that our tendency to divide our minds and lives by rank and interest causes us to extinguish a wide range of experiences in the pursuit of a few.
t his univer s e ,
In paying heed to societal norms and pretension, we can only identify ourselves as scientist or artist, expert or laymen—we needlessly choose to create boundaries for ourselves in a boundless universe.
into par t s — 06
physics, biology, geology, astronomy, psychology, and so on…
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—
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S o let us put it all
back to get her, 07
07 L I V E∙Y O U R∙K NOW L EDGE The pursuit of knowledge is born from innate human curiosity and maintained by a combination of respect and awe. It is our privilege as sentient beings, to not only learn and observe, but to give meaning to our endeavours through a depth and breadth of experience. Honouring Feynman’s sense of freedom and enthusiasm, we must remember to not only acknowledge the facts of the universe but also to realize that to live fully is to think, feel, and enjoy.
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not forgetting ultimately what it is for. RICHARD P.
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L et it give us one more
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final pleasure:
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The Feynman L e c ture s on Physic s NOTHING IS TRIVIAL IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY ENOUGH With his peculiar insight and spirited approach, Feynman’s attitude towards scholarship and living compel us to reconsider how we create and endow value in our own lives. Throughout human endeavour, we have greatly feared mystery and our inability to completely classify, calculate, and know. We fabricate false idols, lore, and unfounded mysticism, in efforts to create the impression of comfort and resolve. However, while we compensate for our incompleteness of knowing, we more often, and unwittingly, choose to ignore the richness and depth of the insights we already hold.
It is widely thought that beauty and grace are only available beyond calculation and reason. But beauty is boundless in nature and exists as part of a myriad of subtle processes and detailed interactions. In learning about an object as underestimated as a glass of wine, we add levels of understanding and appreciation for the origins, histories, and complexities made present by its sheer existence. While we often consider the universe to be out there involving stars and galactic matter, the phenomena of our own existence is subject to the same set of universal processes that allow all organic and inorganic entities to procure. Ourselves, the wine, and the glass, are testaments to the inherent meaning and miraculousness of what exists already, wholly and without need for mysticism or lore.
Richar d P. Feynman
19 6 4 As we embrace the mystery and excitement of knowing or not, remember that all life is essentially fermentation: a collection, a greatly intertwined amalgamation whose meaning is available to those who know how to look.
“It’s an appreciation of the mathematical beauty of nature, of how she works inside; a realization that the phenomena we see result from the complexity of the inner workings between atoms; a feeling of how dramatic and wonderful it is. It’s a feeling of awe—of scientific awe—which I felt could be communicated [...] to someone who had also had this emotion. It could remind him, for a moment, of this feeling about the glories of the universe.”—R.P.F.
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