Feynman’s Advice For Becoming a Scientific Skeptic
Why doubt and skepticism are important for discovery
There’s no doubt that Richard Feynman is one of the most accomplished theoretical physicists of all time. But he was much more than just that. His methods of teaching and learning were unconventional and he truly believed in the power of scientific skepticism and doubt and uncertainty. In order for anyone to make progress in science or scientific domains, he says, uncertainty is extremely important. This isn’t my first piece about the physics legend. In my previous articles, I shared Feynman’s ideologies about God and religion. If you haven’t read that piece yet you can read it here,
In this article, however, I shall share what the scientific Zeus thought about the importance of doubt, and uncertainty. Most of the quotations mentioned in this piece have been extracted from his autobiography ‘Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman!’ and his interviews the reference to which shall be mentioned alongside each.
In a public address at the National Academy of Sciences in 1955, Feynman stated
“The scientist has a lot of experience with ignorance and doubt and uncertainty, and this experience is of very great importance, I think. When a scientist doesn’t know the answer to a problem, he is ignorant. When he has a hunch as to what the result is, he is uncertain. And when he is pretty darn sure of what the result is going to be, he is still in some doubt. We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt. Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of certainty — some most unsure, some nearly sure, but none absolutely certain.”
The statement alone showcases the importance of doubt and uncertainty in scientific inquiry and this, evidently, holds true not just for scientists but for everyone. As human beings, our very purpose of existence, I believe, is to try and understand the world around us and inside us. In order to do that, one must pose a question and a question require doubt.
In the same address, Feynman adds about our struggle with the unknown and the requirement of skepticism in order to discover something
“….the openness of possibilities was an opportunity, and that doubt and discussion were essential to progress into the unknown. If we want to solve a problem that we have never solved before, we must leave the door to the unknown ajar.”
He further adds,
“It is our responsibility as scientists, knowing the great progress which comes from a satisfactory philosophy of ignorance, the great progress which is the fruit of freedom of thought, to proclaim the value of this freedom; to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed and discussed, and to demand this freedom as our duty to all coming generations.”
In a 1999 book titled The Pleasure of Finding Things Out Feynman talks about the significance of not knowing and uncertainty in order to learn something.
“We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty. People are terrified — how can you live and not know? It is not odd at all. You only think you know, as a matter of fact. And most of your actions are based on incomplete knowledge and you really don’t know what it is all about, or what the purpose of the world is, or know a great deal of other things. It is possible to live and not know.”
To be able to discover something, understand something, or question something, one must first understand one’s ignorance. If you cannot admit that you don’t know, you cannot learn anything new. The inquiry stops. The first step to understanding is to admit that you are ignorant in that regard and are open to new knowledge.
My perspective
I’ve been a huge admirer of Feynman and Feynman’s ideologies regarding teaching and learning. If I do not know an answer to something I do not oblige myself to share an opinion about it. I’d rather admit and say that “I don’t know” and be open to learning about it. The very factor that drives human knowledge and understanding is skepticism. Questioning is not science, it is more of an art. Choosing the right questions, I believe, is as equally important as finding the answers. I’ve been a skeptic myself and that has caused me to gain more perspectives about this and be more open to new and new possibilities.
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