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From Bach to Einstein and beyond

From Bach to Einstein and beyond. 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 University House, March 26, 2007. What I will be talking about.

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From Bach to Einstein and beyond

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  1. From Bach to Einstein and beyond 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 University House, March 26, 2007

  2. 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: PHYS 216 / SIS 216 (1 quarter -> 1 hour) • Conclusions: Fermi paradox, bonfire metaphor and Homo Sapiens

  3. “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

  4. Science, and Music (and International Relations) with Exuberance and Humility • 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

  5. Music and Science • Music and Science: Pythagoras, Kepler, emergent complexity, superstrings, … • Goedel Escher Bach • Exuberance and Humility:Two pipe organs

  6. Music and Science: Goedel Escher Bach, and more • 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”

  7. 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” !

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

  9. 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

  10. … 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

  11. 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 • …..

  12. Einstein as Scientist, Musician and Prophet • Einstein as scientist: This year we celebrate 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.”

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

  14. 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

  15. Creation of the Universe • Recent Physics Colloquium: “Why is the re Something rather than Nothing?” Conclusion: “Maybe there is Nothing, cleverly disguised as Something.”

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

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

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

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. Einstein as Scientist, Musician and Prophet • Einstein as scientist: In 2005 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.”

  22. 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 !!!)

  23. 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.

  24. 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."

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. 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

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

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