TTC Video The Great Questions of Philosophy and Physics

Lecturer: Steven Gimbel, Ph.D.

Is time travel possible? Time travel is an idea that would have seemed absurd to a classical physicist like Newton. But it appears to be a real option according to Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity-raising the prospect of time machines, along with a host of paradoxes including whether the past can be altered.
Is the universe fine-tuned for life? The more we learn about the universe, the more it looks tailor-made expressly for us. Does this imply a Creator? On the other hand, where else could we live except in a universe conducive to life? This suggests that countless other universes may exist with quite different properties.
Wrestle with Profound Questions

Consider these questions, which you address in the course:

Why is math so effective? Mathematics is the hallmark of a rigorous science such as physics. But why should that be? Is the world a mathematical system, as some philosophers contend? Or is mathematics simply our most powerful, logical tool for making sense of the relations between things in nature?
Is space a thing or a relation? Newton believed that space is a kind of amphitheater that the universe occupies. His rival, Leibniz, argued that space is just a set of relations. If the contents of the universe were removed, there would be nothing left, not even “space.” Einstein cast this debate in a remarkable new light.
Probe the Surprising Nature of Reality

Both theories are extraordinarily successful at predicting events at their respective scales. Both imply an underlying reality that is counterintuitive, if not bizarre. Both have major philosophical implications. And each is incompatible with the other, hinting that an eventual theory that unifies both will sketch a reality of utmost strangeness-as proposals such as string theory do.