• The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

  • The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
  • By: Richard P. Feynman
  • Narrated by: Sean Runnette
  • Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,779 ratings)

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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out  By  cover art

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

By: Richard P. Feynman
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Publisher's summary

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman, from interviews and speeches to lectures and printed articles. A sweeping, wide-ranging collection, it presents an intimate and fascinating view of a life in science - a life like no other. From his ruminations on science in our culture to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, this book will delight anyone interested in the world of ideas.

"From the irregular trivia of ordinary life mixed with a bit of scientific doodling and failure to the intense dramatic concentration as one closes in on the truth and the final elation (plus, with gradually decreasing frequency, the sudden sharp pangs of doubt) - that is how science is done." (Richard P. Feynman to James D. Watson)

©1999 Michelle Feynman and Carl Feynman (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The most original mind of his generation." (Freeman Dyson, renowned theoretical physicist and mathematician)
"A sparkling collection." ( Wall Street Journal)
"Feynman’s distinctive voice rings out in this book…Feynman is both interesting and quotable." ( Scientific American)

What listeners say about The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but material is covered in better book.

This is basically "surely you'r joking mr feynman", but not so much stitched together. Buy the other one instead.

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70 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Author leverages Feynmans name for profit

I’m a huge fan of Sure, You Must Be Joking Mr. Feynman so I was hoping I’d like this book too.

I found out this wasn’t really published by Feynman, and these short works just make Feynman look like an egotistical jerk.

There’s also not much enjoyable in here as these are mostly Feynman bragging as if it were a diary. I almost think his legacy would have been less tarnished if this was never published. Shame on Jeffrey Robbins for putting this out there.

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32 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool."
― Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

It is hard to not love Feynman. You can love his as a scientist, as a man, as a genius, as a teacher, as an iconoclast. He is the real deal. 'The Pleasure of Finding Things Out' is a series of 13 speeches, articles, essays, interviews by or with Richard Feynman. These are guilty pleasure reads for people who adore those great physicists of the early 2oth centuries who were lucky AND brilliant enough to be physicists when physics jumped from classical to quantum. These guys were amazing. Feynman wasn't among the first wave of theoretical physicists to dance in the quantum space, but he was a huge member of the second wave.

The thing that makes Feynman so interesting is just his unpretentious quirkiness, his love of telling stories, his ability to quickly grasp the root of a problem (whether in physics, biology, or religion) and give you an honest answer.

The only drawback to this collection is it repeats several stories. Feynman retold many of his favorite stories (locks at Los Alamos) or ideas (cargo cult science). So if you've read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character or Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman many of these stories have been heard before. Even inside of this book a couple stories get retold a bit. It is unavoidable, but still a bit of a draw back.

Anyway, this isn't a deep dive into science. It is a flirtation with the curiosity that drives scientists. It is the recollections of one of the most fascinating characters to come out of the Manhattan Project and the post-quantum revolution period of physics. So, if you haven't read much on Feynman I might recommend reading 'Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!' first, but I'd still not neglect to check this out as well.

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27 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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surely you're joking

I think Surely you're joking Mr Feynman is a much better read. If you have read that book then this book will have some duplication in stories.

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26 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Narrator even sounds like Feynman!

What a great and interesting man! This audiobook captures his essence and personality. It's filled with interesting stories and thought-provoking Passages.

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22 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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You will have heard some of it already

There's a lot of overlap between the stories, so it feels unedited. Other than that, the usual fare for Feynman - funny and insightful. Lovely voice performance as well.

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The pleasure of listening to this audiobook!

Sean Reynman even sounds like Feynman! What a great listen. Thank you.

For those that don't realize, this is a collection of Feynman's disjointed work with a separate title. If you think it's one giant book written by the man himself with the agenda of the title, you are mistaken. Go in with those expectations and you'll enjoy it.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thought inspiring!

The more I learn from listening to great thinkers like Physicist Richard Feynman the greater my appreciation for how much I will never know in my lifetime.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Perfect for introduction to Feynman or for long time fans

Not every section is equally interesting and relevant, but this is only because some are more interesting and relevant than anything written that long ago has any right to be.

The reader manages to sound much like Feynman himself, and really nails the cadence and emphasis.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not as I anticipated

I expected to learn some physics and about the joy of finding things out. A part about how Feynman learned to enjoy finding things out was nice but some parts seemed irrelevant, like a big part talking about how to make technology more compact.

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4 people found this helpful