A Tear at the Edge of Creation

From the Introduction...

The cornerstone of any unification theory is the notion that a more profound description of Nature possesses a higher level of mathematical symmetry. Echoing the teachings of Pythagoras and Plato, this idea carries with it an implicit aesthetic judgment that such theories are more beautiful, and, as the poet John Keats wrote in 1819, that “beauty is truth.” And yet, as we investigate the experimental evidence for unification, or even for how such ideas can be experimentally verified, we find very little hard data supporting them. Of course, symmetry remains an essential tool in the physical sciences. But during the past fifty years, discoveries in experimental physics have shown time and again that our expectations of higher symmetry are more expectations than realities.

Although at first very distressing at a personal level, this realization eventually led my work in a new direction. I began to recognize that it is not symmetry but the presence of asymmetry that best represents some of the most basic aspects of Nature. Symmetry may have its appeal, but it is inherently stale: some kind of imbalance is behind every transformation. As I explain in this book, from the origin of matter to the origin of life, the emergence of structure depends fundamentally on the existence of asymmetries.

Slowly, my thoughts converged into an aesthetic based on imperfection rather than perfection. I found that asymmetry is beautiful precisely for being imperfect just as Marilyn Monroe's mole is beautiful. The revolution in modern art and music started more than a century ago is, to a large extent, an expression of this aesthetic. Now, it's time for science to let go of the old aesthetic that espouses perfection as beauty and beauty as truth.

This new take on science has far-reaching implications. If we are here because Nature is imperfect, how common is life in the universe? Can we guarantee that, given similar conditions, life will emerge elsewhere? What about intelligent life? Are there other thinking beings in the cosmos? Quite unexpectedly, my scientific quest led me to a new understanding of being human: science turned existential.