The Character of Physical Law

By: Richard P. Feynman

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

In these Messenger Lectures, originally delivered at Cornell University and recorded for television by the BBC, Richard Feynman offers an overview of selected physical laws and gathers their common features into one broad principle of invariance. He maintains at the outset that the importance of a physical law is not "how clever we are to have found it out but…how clever nature is to pay attention to it" and steers his discussions toward a final exposition of the elegance and simplicity of all scientific laws. Rather than an essay on the most significant achievements in modern science, The Character of Physical Law is a statement of what is most remarkable in nature. Feynman’s enlightened approach, his wit, and his enthusiasm make this a memorable exposition of the scientist’s craft. The law of gravitation is the author’s principal example. Relating the details of its discovery and stressing its mathematical character, he uses it to demonstrate the essential interaction of mathematics and physics. He views mathematics as the key to any system of scientific laws, suggesting that if it were possible to fill out the structure of scientific theory completely, the result would be an integrated set of mathematical axioms. The principles of conservation, symmetry, and time irreversibility are then considered in relation to developments in classical and modern physics, and in his final lecture, Feynman develops his own analysis of the process and future of scientific discovery.

Like any set of oral reflections, The Character of Physical Law has special value as a demonstration of the mind in action. The reader is particularly lucky in Richard Feynman - one of the most eminent and imaginative modern physicists.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©1965 Richard Feynman (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

Not a Physicist.

Well explained ideas about physics which demistify the process without being condescending. The role that guesswork plays in conjunction with experimentation, approximations, and limitations on conclusions as well as broader application on a universal scale of reliability testing are all points well made. Almost makes me think physicists are just souped up garage inventor wannabes.

A nice set of his Stanford lectures.

It’s like the classic Stanford 1965 lectures now available on video. He was a brilliant scientist and a brilliant teacher. Time well spent.

Excellent lecture

Another great lecture by Richard Feynman. Unfortunately some chapter make heavy use of figures which are unavailable as an audiobook. Chapter 6 explains de double slit experiment in all it's glory, which made it all worthwhile for me.
Excellent reading performance with a clear and calm voice.

A Great Thinker!

I’ve always admired the way Richard Feynman thinks about things. What stood out for me was a notion that scientists do actually understand that mathematics can not represent nature, at least not completely. Yet the way he explains things is always refreshing to me.

Great but needs PDF

The audio book needs a pdf that they refer to quite often, the content, otherwise, is spectacular.

Safe best

Richard Feynman never let you down. I love to hear what he wrote, his own words, with no intermediary.
The book portraits a generalist view of physics that is utterly contemporary and alive.

difficult to follow without images

Good, but to understand the ideas presented in the book you need to follow graphs, figures and tables...

Great great book, the best narration.

The book has made me a real fan of Feynman. Cannot wait till to listen to the next one. I wish all the books had such a well spoken narrator as this book. He really brought Feynman to life and embodied Feynman love of physics in his voice.

Great book

Although I've heard enough lectures by Dr. Feynman and know what he sounded like, I'll always associate Sean Runette's voice with Dr. Feynman. Dr. Feynman always had a knack for explaining complex things simply.

I love Sean Runnette’s voice and Feynman writing.

It’s like data from Star Trek wrote a book and read it to us. I love it! He speaks plainly and states everything so well anyone could get into the book and learn a lot.