We seem gradually to be groping toward an understanding of the world of subatomic particles, but we really do not know how far we have yet to go in this task.
Richard P. FeynmanRead
The philosophical question before us is, when we make an observation of our track in the past, does the result of our observation become real in the same sense that the final state would be defined if an outside observer were to make the observation?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the nature of reality and observation, questioning how our perceptions of the past shape our understanding of what is real.
Richard P. Feynman's quote delves into the relationship between observation and reality, suggesting that our understanding of past events may differ from an objective perspective. It challenges us to consider whether our interpretations of experiences truly capture the essence of those moments, or if they are merely subjective constructs shaped by our minds, thus raising deeper philosophical questions about existence and knowledge.
Themes
ObservationRealityPhilosophyPerceptionTruth
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the nature of reality in a philosophy class.
More from Richard P. Feynman
All quotes →The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.
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It has not yet become obvious to me that there's no real problem. I cannot define the real problem; therefore, I suspect there's no real problem, but I'm not sure there's no real problem.
Richard P. FeynmanRead
For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined it. Why do the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?
Richard P. FeynmanRead
Science is a way to teach how something gets to be known, what is not known, to what extent things are known (for nothing is known absolutely), how to handle doubt and uncertainty, what the rules of evidence are, how to think about things so that judgments can be made, how to distinguish truth from fraud, and from show.
Richard P. FeynmanRead
We do not know what the rules of the game are; all we are allowed to do is to watch the playing. Of course, if we watch long enough, we may eventually catch on to a few of the rules. The rules of the game are what we mean by fundamental physics.
Richard P. FeynmanRead
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