The Flying Trapeze

A miniature The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Also a lecture series and also divided into parts, but here on the two new sciences, relativity and quamtum physics, and then a final part relation between science, nation states and war.

The first two parts are very well explained, giving a glimpse into the contributions of especially Einstein and Niels Bohr. And remember, this is done by someone quite contemporary to both.

However, it is one of the overarching themes, especially through the final part, which stayed with me the most: that things in science are discovered, not because they are useful, or convenient, or nice. They were discovered because they were possible to discover. Oppenheimer cites examples of Kepler, Einstein and De Broglie being displeased with the consequences of their discoveries. So does Oppenheimer and many other 1940'ies physicists join their ranks in being displeased with a reality they had to endure.

Note: I read the Danish translation.