On the narrow question of Feynman’s social graces, I only remember watching one video of his and it did seem to back up the “he kinda lacks them” idea. From memory: an interviewer asks him “why is ice slippery” and he starts musing about “how do I explain this to you”. The interviewer seems to get kind of a dismissive vibe (which I got too) and says “I think it’s a fair question”, and Feynman says “of course it’s a fair question, it’s an excellent question”.
And now not from memory, here’s the video. The question is actually about magnets, he starts pushing for more detail about “what are you actually asking” and that’s when you get that exchange. I think the vibe I get is actually more aggressive than dismissive, like at times it seems he’s angry at me. I assume it’s just enthusiasm, but I feel like I’d find it uncomfortable to have a long conversation with him in that mode. That would be a shame, and hopefully I’d get used to it.
(Of course, “having / not having social graces” is way oversimplified. “Feynman was skilled in some social graces and unskilled in others” seems likely. And for all I know, maybe most people don’t pick up an aggressive vibe from the video.)
But, also relevant: he does talk about ice, and this HN comment says his explanation is wrong. But he actually hedges that explanation. “It is in the case of ice that when you stand on it, they say, momentarily the pressure melts the ice a little bit.”
On the narrow question of Feynman’s social graces, I only remember watching one video of his and it did seem to back up the “he kinda lacks them” idea. From memory: an interviewer asks him “why is ice slippery” and he starts musing about “how do I explain this to you”. The interviewer seems to get kind of a dismissive vibe (which I got too) and says “I think it’s a fair question”, and Feynman says “of course it’s a fair question, it’s an excellent question”.
And now not from memory, here’s the video. The question is actually about magnets, he starts pushing for more detail about “what are you actually asking” and that’s when you get that exchange. I think the vibe I get is actually more aggressive than dismissive, like at times it seems he’s angry at me. I assume it’s just enthusiasm, but I feel like I’d find it uncomfortable to have a long conversation with him in that mode. That would be a shame, and hopefully I’d get used to it.
(Of course, “having / not having social graces” is way oversimplified. “Feynman was skilled in some social graces and unskilled in others” seems likely. And for all I know, maybe most people don’t pick up an aggressive vibe from the video.)
But, also relevant: he does talk about ice, and this HN comment says his explanation is wrong. But he actually hedges that explanation. “It is in the case of ice that when you stand on it, they say, momentarily the pressure melts the ice a little bit.”