--- title: Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something description: Knowing the name of something doesn’t mean you understand it canonical: https://time.com/3818367/richard-feynman-knowing-something/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-15T11:00:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:21:39.625Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something og:description: Knowing the name of something doesn’t mean you understand it og:url: https://time.com/3818367/richard-feynman-knowing-something/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39c5c92aff1b8146/6987eab4cd1bba18296f8e80/richard-feynman.jpg?branch=production&width=392&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 392 og:image:height: 221 og:image:alt: Richard Feynman og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something twitter:description: Knowing the name of something doesn’t mean you understand it twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39c5c92aff1b8146/6987eab4cd1bba18296f8e80/richard-feynman.jpg?branch=production&width=392&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish May 15, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  Richard Feynman Richard FeynmanCynthia Johnson—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish May 15, 2015 11:00 AM UTC Richard Feynman, who believed that “[the world is much more interesting than any one discipline](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/01/the-world-is-much-more-interesting-than-any-one-discipline/),” was [no ordinary genius](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2011/12/richard-feynman-no-ordinary-genius/). His explanations — on [why questions](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/01/richard-feynman-on-why-questions/), [why trains stay on the tracks as they go around a curve](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/04/why-do-trains-stay-on-the-track-as-they-go-around-a-curve/), [how we look for new laws of science](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/06/richard-feynman-the-key-to-science/), [how rubber bands work](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/10/richard-feynman-explains-how-rubber-bands-work/), — are simple and powerful. Even his letter writing moves you. His [love letter to his wife sixteen months after her death](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/08/richard-feynmans-love-letter-to-his-wife-sixteen-months-after-her-death/) still stirs my soul. In [this short clip](https://youtu.be/05WS0WN7zMQ), Feynman articulates the difference between knowing the name of something and understanding it. --- > “” --- Knowing the name of something doesn’t mean you understand it. We talk in [fact-deficient, obfuscating generalities](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/04/the-emperor-has-no-clothes/) to cover up our lack of understanding. How then should we go about learning? On this Feynman [echoes Einstein](https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/12/albert-einstein-simplicity/), and proposes that [we take things apart](http://www.fotuva.org/online/frameload.htm?/online/science.htm): --- > “” --- There is a way to test whether you understand the idea or only know the definition. It’s called the [Feynman Technique](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/04/learn-anything-faster-with-the-feynman-technique/) and it looks like this: --- > “” --- I think this is what Montaigne was hinting at in [his Essays](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140446044/farnamstreet-20) when [he wrote](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/01/knowledge-and-opinions-upon-trust/): --- > “” --- **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/)**_._** **Join over 50,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/)**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3818367/richard-feynman-knowing-something/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3818367/richard-feynman-knowing-something/"},"headline":"Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something","datePublished":"2015-05-15T11:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:21:39.625Z","description":"Knowing the name of something doesn’t mean you understand it","url":"https://time.com/3818367/richard-feynman-knowing-something/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39c5c92aff1b8146/6987eab4cd1bba18296f8e80/richard-feynman.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shane Parrish","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39c5c92aff1b8146/6987eab4cd1bba18296f8e80/richard-feynman.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Richard Feynman","caption":"Richard Feynman","creditText":"Cynthia Johnson—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3818367/richard-feynman-knowing-something/","name":"Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something"}}]}] ```