Feynman’s understanding of science and the methodology of science

5 min readOct 14, 2022

Delving into the philosophy of one of the greatest physicists of all times

Introduction to Feynman

An American Nobel laureate theoretical physicist, Richard Phillips Feynman is best known for his work in quantum electrodynamics. He studied at MIT and Princeton, and pursued his academic career first at the latter, and then at Caltech. He was passionate about promoting physics through mediums like books and lectures.

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of Science refers to the academic study of components of scientific inquiry through the lenses of philosophy. Main areas of discussion include the epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues concerning the implications of modern science.

It is believed that Feynman said that “philosophy of science is as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds”. With this critical comment, he dismissed the significance of the discipline.

Through his physics lectures, he tries to clarify scientists’ understanding of the terms ‘science’ and ‘scientific method’. He believed that before reflecting and delving into the philosophy of science and particular problems of science, a general and clear understanding of science and its terminology is imperative.

Feynman on Science

Feynman believed that it was the Renaissance that birthed modern science 200 years ago, in the wave of scientific revolution and Enlightenment. Claiming that physics is the paradigm of science, Feynman emphasizes the eminence of physics in modern science as the most fundamental field which encompasses biology, chemistry, astronomy, geology, psychology, and more. It has a profound influence on all fields of science and scientific developments.

On scientific laws

Feynman gave the following reasons why science cannot be done by merely defining its basic laws:

These laws are not known to us
Some unfamiliar ideas might be contained in these laws

Role of approximation and imagination

He went on to claim that everything that we know is an approximation of some type. This is because the said laws of science aren’t known. Therefore, it is imperative that we unlearn prior connections and begin learning science anew.

“The test of all knowledge is experiment” — is a basic principle of science as per Feynman, as it is the only determiner of scientific truth. Laws are also based on guesswork since they, at times, rely on imagination. This guesswork is then experimented upon to check its rightness. Because of this, there has come to be a twofold division of physicists:

Experimental Physicists: they experiment, imagine, guess and deduce
Theoretical Physicists: they imagine, guess, and frame laws, but do not experiment

He urges us to spot incorrect and inconsistent laws so that they can be supplanted with better, right laws. Nevertheless, because we aren’t aware of all laws and rules, we are not armed with a complete explanation. Because what we think we know about rules is based on guesswork, we should also keep in mind that our understanding of how the world works is based on them. In light of this realization, how can these guesses be claimed to be right when a correct analysis of the world is yet to be ascertained?

Assessing the correctness of guesswork

Feynman proposed three ways of determining the above:

Sometimes, we lay out elements of nature keeping in mind our requirements. These chosen parts portray applicable rules and uniformities in certain settings.
Specific rules can be derived from general rules. But at times, in reality, these can be disregarded. When this happens, new rules might replace old ones. In science, novelty is considered a sign of progress.
The third way of checking these rules is through rough approximation. It happens at times that we assert an understanding of nature without verifying every possible instance. Approximation and guesswork are exercised. The phenomenon of nature is divided into different classes like magnetism, heat, electricity, nuclear physics, etc. It is a possibility that some of these could be wrong. Usually, minor inconsistencies are ignored and the general approximation is deemed as an acceptable law. Here, Feynman states that exactness is the goal, then philosophically speaking, it is not achieved through approximate laws. He gives a choice between learning one of the following two: i) the approximate wrong guess/idea that one is familiar with or ii) the challenging and unfamiliar conceptual idea

It can be found via philosophical contemplation of problems that rules are not fixed. Different problems, at different times, are addressed using varied techniques.

Takeaway

An abundance of factors needs to be taken into consideration while doing science. Minute things need to be focused on to analyze the multitude, which allows us to focus on multiple aspects and provides us with different perspectives of looking at things and placing seemingly different things together. This, as a result, aids in comprehension.

Feynman on the Scientific Method

Pointing out the naturally inquisitive nature of humans, Feynman states how we tend to ask questions about our surroundings and environment, which is composed of a multitude of things with seemingly infinite attributes. Small things are focused upon, and their innumerable effects are taken into account so that the multitude can be analyzed.

In the beginning, these might look contrasting in nature, but as observation progresses, their similarities come to light. This allows us to group them and help us understand them better.

The traditional three-step scientific method

Following are the three steps of the traditional, popular scientific method:

Observation
Reasoning
Experimentation

On the application of this particular method, Feynman claimed that the resultant discovery is merely a set of ideas termed “Fundamental Physics”. It attempts to amalgamate the varying classes of physics.

Examples provided by Feynman

Feynman puts forward the following arguments to further clarify the law formulation resulting from amalgamating observations:

When in motion, atoms are expected to generate heat (as per mechanics). The amount of heat is positively related to the amount of motion. This is called the ‘law of mechanics’.
‘Electro-mechanist effect’ is another example that can be referred to. This phenomenon explains the relationship between magnetism, electricity, and light, resulting in a discovery. Before the said discovery, the three classes were understood to be different aspects of the same thing.

Listing out a few more examples, Feynman points out the transition of different things by their amalgamation. But at the same time, he acknowledges that not all things are capable of being amalgamated similarly. Therefore, the entirety of the world cannot be explained or simplified as being a multitude of aspects of a single thing.

My understanding, summary, and conclusion

Feynman has attempted, through his work, to make our understanding of ‘science’ and the ‘scientific method’ clear. He emphasizes how experimentation is the only determiner of scientific truth, and how what we accept to be knowledge most of the time, is merely an approximation based on guesswork.

He has also explained the three steps of scientific methodology, as they have been perceived popularly and traditionally. He then elucidated them with the help of relevant examples.

He identifies human curiosity as the reason for our tendency to search for connections in nature. Notwithstanding the apparent differences between certain things, we try to group them after studying their varied aspects in varied settings.

The main takeaway and essence of Feynman’s lectures on science and the scientific method are that — only after knowing the world will the search reach its completion.