Why I Am Not a Scientist: Subjective Views on Objectivity, Truth and Computer Science
Dear Felienne, “What is your favorite flower?” — You asked me this question at the beginning of our podcast episode on Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison’s book “Objectivity” (2021)1, and we then discussed science, objectivity, and truth. Your opening question reminded me of something the physicist Richard Feynman said in a BBC interview2. In this interview, Feynman mentions a disagreement he had with an artist friend. The artist believes that Feynman is unable to appreciate the beauty of a flower because science takes it apart, thereby transforming it into something dull. But Feynman disagrees! He points out the “beauty of the smaller dimension, the inner structure” and argues that he can appreciate even more about the flower, such as “the complicated actions inside which also have a beauty”.3 ...