The Path of Inquiry

In 1948, physicist Richard Feynman found himself in a peculiar situation at a cafeteria in Cornell. As a plate was tossed into the air by someone, Feynman noticed the plate's wobble didn't match its rotation. Intrigued, he began calculations on a napkin. This spontaneous inquiry led him to develop mathematical formulations that would eventually contribute to his Nobel Prize-winning work in quantum electrodynamics. Feynman later reflected that this moment of curiosity—this act of questioning—was far more valuable than any accidental discovery.

This is what the great philosopher Adi Shankara meant when he wrote in his Crest-Jewel of Discrimination:

"Realized knowledge alone destroys ignorance… knowledge cannot spring up by any other means than inquiry. 'Who am I? How was this universe born? Who is its maker? What is its material cause?' This is the kind of inquiry referred to."