<P> Nick Meyer wrote in the New York magazine that Feynman departs from his field of theoretical physics and "waxes philosophical" on "the strengths and limitations of scientific thought", using topics like "poverty, religion, and flying saucers" to illustrate his arguments . Meyer said that Feynman "sounds like himself, which is a high compliment ." Chris Quigg, a theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, said that The Meaning of It All is an opportunity to "ponder and debate (Feynman's) ideas". Quigg said it is also an "unspoken challenge" to other scientists to consider the "cultural and spiritual value of science". </P> <P> Timothy Ferris writing in The New York Times was generally impressed with the first two lectures, but felt that Feynman's "ad - lib approach" faltered in the third . At the beginning of this last lecture Feynman said, "I have completely run out of organized ideas", and Ferris felt that this showed in the somewhat "ragged" speech that followed . Eli Kintish in The Yale Review of Books complained that while the lectures "burn with the fuel of Feynman's enthusiasm", they are difficult to follow in places because of their lack of focus . Kintish said that with some editing it would have been "a more accessible read", but added that the book was still full of "original gems". David Goodstein, a physicist who attended the lectures in 1963, wrote in American Scientist that while the book has "some nuggets of pure Feynman gold", it is "badly dated and atrociously edited". Goodstein complained that the publishers had ignored Feynman's request not to print the lectures, and said that the book "does not honor his memory". </P>

The meaning of it all by richard feynman