Beyond the Big Bang: searching for meaning in contemporary physics

摘要

The fourth season in the ongoing collaboration between the Nour Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences presented a shift in focus from the microcosm of the human being to the macrocosm of the universe at large with a timely three-part series on the relevance of modern-day physics to our understanding of the perennial questions confronting human existence. Steve Paulson, executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning public radio program To the Best of Our Knowledge, once again assumed the helm to moderate the panel discussions in this series, which brought together leading physicists, philosophers, and writers. Steve continually probed the speakers on the multiple scientific and philosophical dimensions suggested by modern physics, with an emphasis on understanding how recent scientific advances have influenced our enduring search for meaning.