Vladimir Chaloupka Professor of Physics

1. HA&S221: Natural Science for an Informed Citizen From Bach to Einstein and beyond or: a Little Grand Tourof Music, Science and Human Affairs or: a Secular, Transdisciplinary Sermon. Vladimir Chaloupka Professor of Physics Adjunct Professor, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies Adjunct Professor, School of Music www.phys.washington.edu/users/vladi

2. A test: (from my recent SIS201 lecture): What Is To Be Done? Vladimir Chaloupka [1] Readers well versed in the history of political philosophy will have recognized my title as identical to that of the most famous piece by my infamous namesake. Well, he was a rebel, and so am I. But the similarity ends there, I hope.

3. What I will be talking about • importance(?) of small nations • attempt to make a coherent whole out of science, music and human affairs • J.S.Bach as Amadeus phenomenon • J.S.Bach as a genetic phenomenon • Einstein as physicist, musician and prophet • The Basic Problem and the Big Gap • What Is To Be Done, and what I am doing: HA&S 220, HA&s 350, PHYS 216 / SIS 216 / Jackson School STS track / UW-wide “Science and Society” research and teaching • Conclusions: Fermi paradox, bonfire metaphor and Homo Sapiens

4. Stretch your thinking and attitudes • Give you the feeling of what scientists actually do, and give you the confidence that much of it YOU could do, too • Improve your BS detector • Expose you to the environment of your peers of extremely varied background • Make you think of some very important issues while having a good time • It will seem as much too much at the beginning, but – it is hoped – all will fall in place at the end of the course

5. Large nations vs. small nations: From a (liberal!) citizen of a (very) powerful nation: “Even more than Vietnam 30 years ago, Iraq constitutes a major strategic setback. There is no getting around this. But Iraq is just that--a setback. What is essential is that the U.S. cut its losses there, contain the consequences and look for new opportunities to advance its interests around the world.” Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations

6. From a President(!) of a very small nation: • The modern era has been dominated by the culminating belief, expressed in different forms, that the world and Being as such is a wholly knowable system governed by a finite number of universal laws that man can grasp and rationally direct for his own benefit. … This, in turn, gave rise to the proud belief that man, as the pinnacle of everything that exists, was capable of objectively describing, explaining and controlling everything that exists .... Vaclav Havel former Czech dissident / President / playwright / philosopher

7. Music and Science, with Exuberance and Humility • Pythagoras’ integers • Kepler’s Harmonia Mundi • Superstring Theory: all elementary particles as “modes of vibration” of the same string (ergo: “Princeton String quartet”) • Laser Interferometer Space Antenna: “listening to the gravitational Symphony of the Universe” • Music as an example of emergent complexity: parts of Art of Fugue “sound like parts of the Mandelbrot set” • Goedel Escher Bach • Exuberance and Humility: Two Pipe Organs

8. J.S.Bach as Amadeus • The central Theme of Amadeus (play/movie) applied to Bach • The Bach genetic phenomenon • Bach myths: JSB = 14 JSBACH = 41 even (from a doctoral Thesis [sic]): “the Unfinished fugue breaks off at bar 239 because 2+3+9 = 14” ! Example of a Musico-Logical Research:

10. Number of (male) Bach’s doing music at any particular year

12. … finally I realized that to me, Goedel and Escher and Bach were only shadows cast in different directions by some central solid essence. Douglas Hofstadter

14. Goedel Escher Bach Hofstadter • A musico-logical fugue in English • Goedel Undecidability Theorem: “In every sufficiently powerful formal system, there are propositions which are true, but not provable within the system” • (i.e. “Truth if more than Provability”) • Relief provided by fanciful Dialogues

15. Hofstadter’s GEB Dialogues(in the spirit of Lewis Carroll) • ….. • Meaning and Form in Mathematics • Sonata for Unaccompanied Achilles • Figure and Ground • Chromatic Fantasy, and Feud • Brains and Thoughts • English French German Suite • Minds and Thoughts • …..

19. Exuberance and Humility in Music and Science Left: The pipe organ at the St. Marks Cathedral in Seattle Above: the 1743(Bach was just composing the Art of Fugue then!) instrument at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.

20. Mandelbrot Set Tour • 1) z(0) = 0 • 2) z(n+1) = z(n)^2 + c and back to 2) • 3) if z(n) finite then c belongs to the set Amazingly, this simplest of algorithms results into an object of infinite complexity (and arresting beauty). One cannot but recall Dirac’s claim that the Quantum Electrodynamics explains “most of Physics and all of Chemistry” … Also: the varied copies of Mandelbrot “body” are reminiscent of various versions of Art of Fugue theme, and the filaments are like the secondary motifs …

25. Einstein as Scientist, Musician and Prophet • Einstein as scientist: Recently we celebrated the Centenary of Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis • Einstein as musician: from a review: “Einstein plays excellently. However, his world-wide fame is undeserved. There are many violinists who are just as good.” • Einstein as prophet: “Nuclear weapons changed everything except our way of thinking.”

26. Science Ingredients: • “Physics is Different”: Creation of the Universe, Quantum mechanics, … • “Molecular Biology is (differently) Different”: the “kinesin” as an example of a marvelous machine • The phenomenon of “Phase transition”: The Basic Problem and the Big Gap

27. What is the mass of bound system: M -> m1 + m2 Mc2 + E(binding) = m1c2 + m2c2 Therefore M = m1 + m2 – E(binding)/c2 • => For sufficiently strong binding M -> 0 !!! • => (???) Creation of the Universe out of Nothing (???) • Recent Physics Colloquium: “Why is there Something rather than Nothing?” Conclusion: “Maybe there is Nothing, cleverly disguised as Something.”

28. Example of Modern Physics: The Central Mystery of Quantum Physics

29. Example of Modern Physics: The Central Mystery of Quantum Physics

30. Example of Modern Physics: The Central Mystery of Quantum Physics

31. Physics is Different • Recent decades have taught us that physics is a magic window. It shows us the illusion that lies behind reality - and the reality that lies behind illusion. Its scope is immensely greater than we once realized. We are no longer satisfied with insights only into particles, or fields of force, or geometry, or even space and time. Today we demand of physics some understanding of existence itself. J.A.Wheeler

32. Fig. 19: Marvelous Molecular machines contd. Left: “spontaneous” assembly and disassembly of a microtubule Above: a kinesin molecule walks[sic] along a microtubule, carrying an organelle See http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/anim_innerlife_hi.html

33. The Basic Problem • For the first time in human history, the capability of causing extreme harm is, or will soon be, in the hands of individuals or small groups. This is the 'Basic Problem'.  The actual manifestation of the problem will come as an intentional or accidental misuse of our new powers. • Illustration: knowledge of nuclear physics is not sufficient to actually build a nuclear weapon (expense, detectability). • Contrast with molecular biology (which I love !!!)

34. the Basic Problem is a reflection of the Big Gap: the ever-increasing gap between the cumulative, exponential progress in science and technology on the one hand, and on the other hand, the lack of comparable progress in our ability to use our new technological tools thoughtfully and responsibly.

35. Aristotle as a case study: Aristotle Physics: F = m times v F = m times a Aristotle Philosophy: "of the above mentioned forms, the perversions are as follows: of monarchy, tyranny; of aristocracy, oligarchy; of constitutional government, democracy."

36. What Is To Be Done? • Education • Risk Assessment (instead of “relinquishment”) • Defensive and Preventive measures (intentional acts / accidents / natural ) • Coping with the aftermath • Strengthening of the International Law See www.phys.washington.edu/users/vladi/bp.doc

37. The scope of the Basic Problem “Even if all nations impose strict regulations on the handling of nuclear material and dangerous viruses, the chances of effective enforcement, worldwide, are no better that current enforcement of laws against illegal drugs.” Sir Martin Rees, “Our Final Hour” Generalization: even if we succeed to make great progress in the five tasks outlined in “What Is To Be Done”, it would not provide guaranteed safety: large-scale disasters will still be quite possible. This shows that the five steps are not sufficient but necessary – we will certainly come to grief if we don’t solve them.

38. Implications for International Studies • As argued in “What Is To Be Done”, the unrestricted national sovereignty is not compatible with modern science and technology • In particular, the idea of the USA as a benevolent hegemon is not applicable • Restricting national sovereignty is NOT equivalent to a “World Government”: in fact, some decentralization may be necessary, and even the US itself may be have become too big for a central government (cf. the California experiment of Gov. Schwarzenegger) • If this difficult but well-defined problem is addressed (as our Founding Fathers did two hundred years ago) then perhaps the even more difficult problems of Human Security can be solved

39. Was Einstein a naïve scientist? • `When Kansas and Colorado have a quarrel over the water in the Arkansas River, they don't call out the National Guard in each state and go to war over it. They bring a suit in the Supreme Court of the United States and abide by the decision. There isn't a reason in the world why we cannot do that internationally.' Harry Truman see www.phys.washington.edu/users/vladi/naive.doc

40. Summary: Fermi paradox Big Bang as Bonfire Homo Sapiens