How can we make sense of the world and answer some of the deepest questions about existence? What is time? What is space? What is matter? Where did everything come from?
Starting with ancient creation myths about the origin of the universe, and ending with the Big Bang model and our current understanding of quantum physics, this course offers a historical examination of the evolution of physical theories of natural phenomena from Greek antiquity to the present. Being cross-disciplinary, the course considers the cultural, philosophical, and historical contexts in which science developed and its impact to our everyday lives and on our future.
Exclusive course with limited attendance.
Meet the Professor
Marcelo Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College, a world-renowned theoretical physicist and public intellectual. He’s authored hundreds of technical and nontechnical papers and essays, and seven books in English translated to 18 languages. His writings explore the historical, religious, and philosophical roots of science, past and modern. Gleiser is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the Presidential Faculty Fellows Award from the White House, and founder and past director of the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth. He co-founded National Public Radio’s 13.7 Science and Culture blog, and currently writes weekly for BigThink.com. He is the 2019 Templeton Prize laureate, an honor he shares with Mother Tereza, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and scientists Freeman Dyson, Jane Goodall, Sir Martin Rees, and Frank Wilczek.