I had read this before but went ahead and read it again anyway and was again struck by the practicality of Feynman's genius.
However, as always, every genius has their undesirable part:
"The charming side of Richard helped people forgive him for his uncharming characteristics. For example, in many ways Richard was a sexist. Whenever it came time for his daily bowl of soup he would look around for the nearest "girl" and ask if she would fetch it to him. It did not matter if she was the cook, an engineer, or the president of the company. I once asked a female engineer who had just been a victim of this if it bothered her. "Yes, it really annoys me," she said. "On the other hand, he is the only one who ever explained quantum mechanics to me as if I could understand it." That was the essence of Richard's charm."
When I was reading Feynman's biography (Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!) one thing that really bothered me was the big difference in his approach to his son and daughter. He seemed to relish how, when his young boy got his interesting games, but sounded quite impatient with his daughter, saying she only wanted the same story repeated to her.
I had a different reaction when I'd read Surely You're Joking. I thought Feynman had simply observed the de facto difference between his two children; that one happened to be a boy and the other a girl was incidental to the story. (As a mother, I can attest to the fact that it's quite impossible to get a kid interested in something they are not into to start with).
In general, I am a little apprehensive of Feynman's "sexist pig" rep. His younger sister became a physicist largely through his encouragement which tells me that his views on women in science were rather progressive, even by today's standards. He is also known for having sided with a female professor in a sex discrimination suit at Caltech - again, very ahead of his time.
I also recall that at least some of that rep came from his use of stories that were presumably sexist, such as stupid driver (woman), smart cop (man). But according to Feynman, it was his critics, not him, who assumed that the smart cop was male, so the egg was on them.
Finally, a lot of people conflate Feynman's womanizing with sexism, and I think the guy should get a break for trying to find solace in as many women's arms as possible after watching his wife slowly die from cancer.
You're right, his children had de facto differences, and that's OK. What annoyed me was his exasperated tone when he mentioned that his daughter liked having the same story read.
As for womanizing, again it shocked that after so little time passed after her wife's death, he jumps into the scene (and with a vengeance).
But maybe, I'm reading too much into this. Here's what Michelle Feynman (daughter) has to say about what kinf of father Feynman was (http://www.basicfeynman.com/qa.html):
"Fantastic. Fun, supportive, sweet, silly. He went to great lengths to entertain us. When I was young, the nightly ritual included him scouring the house for the correct stuffed animal, with me rejecting each and every offering until I had the desired one, or until he had made me laugh with his efforts. I'm not sure which was more important. He also made for an excellent radio. I would sit on his lap and turn his nose, and he would make up songs from different radio stations."
As for womanizing, again it shocked that after so little time passed after her wife's death, he jumps into the scene (and with a vengeance).
It's not like she died suddenly. They had ample time to prepare for her death, and by the time she was gone he was already prepared to move on. He likely went months with the sadness of watching his love leave him slowly, and at the same time he was not satisfying his sexual desires. I can certainly forgive the man for "jumping into the scene" when he no longer had an obligation to his late wife.
"However, as always, every genius has their undesirable part"
This is the same reason that people are obsessed with celebrities' private lives - you're not famous/genius but you can at least tell yourself it's ok because Charlie Sheen does whores/Tiger Woods has two dozen mistresses/Feynman is a misogynist and women just happen to like him anyway, a lot and while naked (note the trend here).
Every human being has character flaws. Whenever we lionize anyone for their accomplishments, we do so by forgiving (or being ignorant of) the unsavory parts of their character.
Abraham Lincoln, for instance, was pretty racist. He liked minstrel shows and found deeply racist jokes hilarious. Judged in the context of his time, of course, he was very progressive, and despite those personal characteristics he remains one of the most important proponents of civil rights in history. We can recognize that without having to parenthesize (but he told racist jokes).
Michelle Feynman is the daughter of Richard Feynman. A
graduate of Art Center College of Design, Michelle is a
freelance photographer and spends most of her days taking
pictures. She is perhaps best known as the editor of
Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The
Letters of Richard P. Feynman, a collection of letters
to and from her father.The book includes an introduction by
Michelle in which she describes what it was like to grow
up as the daughter of one of the world's best-known
physicists. Michelle has also gathered a compilation of her
father's artwork in a book entitled The Art of Richard P.
Feynman: Images by a Curious Character.
Em, though about the possibility that he was not sexist as "condescending" (women are inferior, and they should fetch my soup), but sexist => interested in the ladies. I, mean, this is a man that was doing some of his work in a strip joint! Maybe this was one of his ways of approaching them.
(Now, some people consider the two types of "sexist" as the same. Those people are disturbed).
However, as always, every genius has their undesirable part:
"The charming side of Richard helped people forgive him for his uncharming characteristics. For example, in many ways Richard was a sexist. Whenever it came time for his daily bowl of soup he would look around for the nearest "girl" and ask if she would fetch it to him. It did not matter if she was the cook, an engineer, or the president of the company. I once asked a female engineer who had just been a victim of this if it bothered her. "Yes, it really annoys me," she said. "On the other hand, he is the only one who ever explained quantum mechanics to me as if I could understand it." That was the essence of Richard's charm."
When I was reading Feynman's biography (Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!) one thing that really bothered me was the big difference in his approach to his son and daughter. He seemed to relish how, when his young boy got his interesting games, but sounded quite impatient with his daughter, saying she only wanted the same story repeated to her.