In Part
Three of "Six Easy Pieces," Mr. Feynman works to demonstrate that physical science is at the core of every other scientific discipline. He rapidly dissects the nature of chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, and
psychology as each relates to physics.Feynman's premise is that physical science is "the most fundamental and all-inclusive of the sciences." Physical science, according to Feynmann, is at the core of the other
sciences and plays a part "in all phenomena."
It follows, as well, that an understanding of physical science is necessary to properly comprehend the other sciences. So Feynman sets out to articulate the fundamental
problems in other sciences, specifically as those problems relate to physical science.
Generally, the other sciences share properties with physics that are both large and small. Each science, for example, at its
essence, relies on the notion we discussed earlier: all things are made up of atoms.
If the study of atoms is the property of physics, then all sciences can be said to be "dependent" on physics at a foundational level.
Chemistry
Chemistry is, of course, the study of substances. It is, in a sense, an application of physics to specific configurations of atoms. Chemistry is focused on the ways that specific atoms are configured and
structured to make up particular substances.
Biology
As the study of living things, biology is closely related to physics in much the same way as chemistry. It is concerned with the properties and processes of
living organisms which, like chemical substances, are made up of atoms and which possess physical properties.
Biology can be characterized as another application of physics, and perhaps as an application of chemistry,
too. Biological systems have physical and chemical properties and so we may argue that the biologist studies life at a "higher" level, or at least a more applied level, than does the physicist or the chemist.
In an
interesting parallel with physics, Feynman observes that all living things share a fundamental property. They are made up of cells. Biology is very concerned with explaining the makeup and nature of cells, just as
physics is concerned with the nature and makeup of atoms.
In his discussion of biology, Feynman makes the very interesting observation that learning about biology is not the same as learning about life. He contends
that even though we may understand living things, it does not mean we understand life itself. We can conclude, whether Mr. Feynman would concur or not, that life is much more complex than the sum of its living
organisms. We are, indeed, fearfully and wonderfully made, as is the world around us.
Feynman admirably devotes a significant portion of this chapter to biology including what is perhaps one of the most interesting
subject areas in biology: DNA. Although much more is known today about the massively complex DNA than was known when Feynman wrote this book, he is insightful enough to ponder the precisely most important question: In
his words, "…how do the enzymens know what to be?"
In other words, how do living organisms know how to become living organisms? How do masses of protoplasm and water know exactly what they are supposed to become?
Feynman relies on an explanation of the physics of DNA to address this question. We can agree with him, and wonder at the magnificent complexity of the world around us.
Astronomy
One of the original sciences,
astronomy gave physics its literal and conceptual start. Astronomy opened up the amazing world of the cosmos and offered them up for detailed analysis.
In turn, it also indicated to emerging generations of scientists
that the world is an ordered system, comprehensible to the observer who will approach the task with discipline and patience. We owe much of what we know about "doing" science to the early astronomers and their ordered
approach to understanding the universe.
Geology
In his study of earth science, Feynman lands on the intriguing processes and concepts involved with weather. It is said that weather is literally unpredictable. To
accurately predict the weather in even the smallest imaginable space is fundamentally impossible.
However, our attempts to understand weather have helped us analyze "turbulent flow," a circumstance that is found in
many, many natural and man-made phenomena. It is this flow, and especially the complexity associated with turbulence, which has launched an entirely new branch of physics called "nonlinear dynamics" (also known by its
trendier name: chaos science).
Feynman also brings up the very interesting matter of erosion and mountains. He asks us the very important question: if mountains are subject to erosion, why are they not shrinking?
Some observers would contend that the mountains are not shrinking because we are only able to observe them in the very short term, compared to the eons of time they have been in existence. Feynman raises the intriguing
prospect that, somehow, there must be mountain-building processes at work in the earth. The mountains, according to this argument, are rebuilding themselves, or the earth is rebuilding them. It is a fascinating theory.
Psychology
Feynman includes one discipline, psychology, that is not often considered a pure science, but is rather considered a "social science." By Feynman's condition for science—conclusion by experiment—much of
psychology, and the other social sciences, would not be considered "science" at all.
However, notice that Feynman's major concern with psychology is focused on brain function. He describes the physical processes of
the brain, and contemplates that memory, for example, must be associated with some physical properties.
As we have with the other sciences, we have learned much about brain science since Feynman wrote this book.
However, the human brain and its processes—many of them physical—is still considered a major scientific frontier.
Conclusion
In the end, Feynman points out that, even though we divide the sciences, "nature" does
not. Every science is interdisciplinary; every science is a composite of other sciences and is a subset of a larger body of knowledge. And every science springs from "natural philosophy," a desire to understand the
world around us.
