People say to me, 'Are you looking for the ultimate laws of physics?' No, I'm not... If it turns out there is a simple ultimate law which explains everything, so be it - that would be very nice to discover. If it turns out it's like an onion with millions of layers... then that's the way it is. But either way there's Nature and she's going to come out the way She is. So therefore when we go to investigate we shouldn't predecide what it is we're looking for only to find out more about it. Now you ask: 'Why do you try to find out more about it?' If you began your investigation to get an answer to some deep philosophical question, you may be wrong. It may be that you can't get an answer to that particular question just by finding out more about the character of Nature. But that's not my interest in science; my interest in science is to simply find out about the world and the more I find out the better it is, I like to find out...
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Scientific inquiry should remain open to whatever nature reveals rather than preconceived philosophical answers.
- In plain terms
- Don't decide what you want to find before you look.
- What can you take from it?
- Follow evidence wherever it leads.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What are you looking for in your work?
- Are you open to surprises?
Another view
Sometimes having a specific goal helps focus the search.
More from Richard Feynman
Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.
Permalink to quote #71 Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it.
Permalink to quote #73 Mathematics is not real, but it feels real. Where is this place?
Permalink to quote #70
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