What?

An international group of academics and intellectuals is being held captive. Suddenly, the jail door is blown open and a GI swaggers in. He points to one of the prisoners and says: "I've come to set you free." One of the other captives, an east coast US academic, says: "Don't go! He says he wants to free you, but he's really just pursuing his own self-interest and he'll desert you just as soon as it suits him, leaving you worse off than you are now!"

Another, from one of the former Soviet east-European nations says: "Don't listen to this nonsense! Only someone who has no experience of the red army could ever believe this friendly GI is evil and dangerous."

Yet another, an Iraqi, says: "Maybe this soldier's intentions are not pure and maybe all that is said against him is true. But you have no choice - with him you have a chance to be free. Without him, you rot in this cell."

A Brit added: "He really should have tried to get you out by following due process, but now that he's here, I think it only polite that you go with him."

The prisoner sat scratching his head for a while, trying to decide whose advice to follow. After a few moments the GI turned to him and said: "Don't waste your time thinking about it, pal: I'm setting you free whether you like it or not."

of anything? "theoretical physicist"

whatever.

Richard Fenyman was a marvellous man. Many people who are outside the scientific academic circle might not have heard of him.. but everyone who has holds a deep respect for him, myself included.

It makes me quite sad to know that he had already died before I even learned he existed... May he rest in peace.

of anything? "theoretical physicist"

whatever.

What, if I may ask, are you absolutely certain about and how can you be sure of it?

I am absolutely certain that the "theoretical" only works in the realm of the "theoretical".

Welcome to practicality; we're back down here.

I am absolutely certain that the "theoretical" only works in the realm of the "theoretical".

I think that's exactly what Feynman tried to say.

But actually, reality is a product of uncountable # of theoretical models.

This also means he's not even sure about the statement itself.

I've posted about absolutes before. Absolutes aren't testable. Even in science facts and laws aren't held to the degree of absolute certainty. This allows it to be adaptive to new information. Not being able to establish absolutes does not mean you can't hold things to degrees of certainty. This is where probabilities come into play.

Don't believe anything. Regard things on a scale of probabilities. The things that seem most absurd, put under 'Low Probability', and the things that seem most plausible, you put under 'High Probability'. Never believe anything. Once you believe anything, you stop thinking about it. The more things you believe, the less mental activity. If you believe something, and have an opinion on every subject, then your brain activity stops entirely, which is clinically considered a sign of death, nowadays in medical practice. So put things on a scale or probability, and never believe or disbelieve anything entirely.

-Robert A. Wilson (interview with "innerview")

Oh and on the comment on whether he believes in his own words or not, I hope not but he certainly asks a lot of questions as a good scientist should. Ask yourself this: Which method works best: acting on beliefs or acting on knowledge?

of anything is perfectly proper. Morality is relative, so is reality. one mans truth is another mans lies. One mans highest qualities is another mans vice.

Feynman was very much in the world of the practical.

No one else could have come up with something as clear and powerful as his "O-ring in a cup of ice water" demonstration during the panel on the Challenger explosion.

Everything is theoretical, in as much as any test of any assumption has a level of risk of failure or disappointment. Some assumptions are [far] more probably correct than others, and therefore one can act on them with more confidence, but there's always a chance of an exception that breaks (not proves) the rule.

Doubt is the most powerful tool of enlightenment.

Absolute certainty is only useful to phony religions, false prophets and sophists.

Feynman is one of my hero's. There is a parable that i was told once by a physics instructor that runs something like this...

At a certain point each year he would lecture on probability. On his way to work, he would memorize a license plate. Inevitably, the question of "what are the chances of the universe forming would come up". He would reply, "what are the chances of me seeing xxxxxxx license plate", then quickly add, 100%.