Richard P. Feynman 'The meaning of it All'

This is a series of three public lectures that Feynman gave in early 1960s on the theme of 'a scientist looks at society'. After his death, according to the dust jacket they were found undisturbed among his papers. Sadly, having just finished reading them I must wonder whether they were left undisturbed because Feynman was too busy to publish them, or if he thought that they were simply not good enough. From my point of view neither of the first two lectures have a great deal of merit. However, I found the last lecture to be well worth a read. Here Feynman talks about irrationality; from astrology to nuclear testing to political paranoia. I have always been concerned that ways of assessing risks, from global warming to power politics, are rarely covered, and it was refreshing to read such an incisive essay. So, in summary this book is the preverbal 'Curate's egg', good in places.

Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, 133 pages