Introduction to Question Reality
!
MARCELO GLEISER:
Welcome to Question Reality. My name is Marcello Gleiser, and I will
be your instructor f
or this
very unique and exciting course based on my book, The Island of
Knowledge. For the next
few weeks, we'll dive deep into some of the most fundamental
questions in science and
philosophy, questions that have occupied the minds of some of the
greatest
thinkers of all
ages.
How do we know what is real? What is the world made of? What is
the Big Bang? Who are we
in this vast expanding universe? How much can we know of the
world and ourselves? How can
we find meaning when we are surrounded by so much doub
t and
mystery?
The course is divided into three main segments
--
cosmos, matter and mind. In all three, we'll
examine some of the most challenging questions in science and philosophy following a
historical
approach. We start with the first ideas on the topi
c and move forward to the frontiers
of current
knowledge.
In cosmos, we'll trace the evolution of our changing world views from the Greeks to
the Big
Bang and the multiverse. In matter, we start in ancient Greece and explore how the
concept of
atom evolved into modern quantum mechanics and the search for the fundamental
building
blocks of matter at CERN. In mind, we examine the nature of mathematics and
computers,
exploring their connection to the greatest mystery of all, our own consciousness.
After an introduction to these topics through brief video lectures and reading short blog posts,
we
will help you discuss with your classmates the nature of reality and knowledge about the
world
around us. We'll ask for your opinions and viewpoints as well
as reflections on how your
own
knowledge is changing. You'll go out into your community of friends, family and
colleagues to
find out their ideas on some of the course topics. We'll schedule live events
where you can "Ask
Marcello Anything" about reality,
philosophy and science. We can't wait to
start this adventure
into reality with all of you.
If you think you know what reality is, think again.
For example, here you have a cloud chamber
where you can see the tiny tracks cutting through
the suspended mist
. These tracks are
actually subatomic particles raining from the skies and from
underground. Without the right
tool, you wouldn't know they existed. But here they are, part of
our physical reality.
As Antoine
de Saint Exupery said in his classic book, The
Little Prince, "what is essential is
invisible to the
eye." In this course, we'll learn to look beyond appearances as we explore the
deepest
aspects of reality.
