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4 - Science, Vision, Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2021

By
Carlo Rovelli
Edited by
Andrew Fabian ,
Janet Gibson ,
Mike Sheppard  and
Simone Weyand
With contributions by
Andrew Blake ,
Carolin Crawford ,
Paul Fletcher ,
Sophie Hackford ,
Anya Hurlbert ,
Dan-Eric Nilsson  and
Carlo Rovelli
Andrew Fabian
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Janet Gibson
Affiliation:
Darwin College, Cambridge
Mike Sheppard
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Simone Weyand
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Andrew Blake
Affiliation:
Samsung AI Research Centre
Carolin Crawford
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Paul Fletcher
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Sophie Hackford
Affiliation:
Wired Magazine
Anya Hurlbert
Affiliation:
Newcastle University
Dan-Eric Nilsson
Affiliation:
Lunds Universitet, Sweden
Carlo Rovelli
Affiliation:
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
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Summary

Can we 'see' photons, black holes, curved spacetime, quantum jumps, the expansion of the universe, or quanta of space? Physics challenges appearances, showing convincingly that our everyday vision of reality is limited, approximate and badly incomplete. Established theories such as quantum theory and general relativity and investigations like loop quantum gravity have a reputation of obscurity. Many suggest that science is forcing us into a counterintuitive and purely mathematical understanding of reality. I disagree. I think that there is a visionary core at the root of the best science. Where 'visionary' truly means formed by visual images. Our mind, even when dealing with abstract and difficult notions, relies on images, metaphors and, ultimately, vision. Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, science is not just about making predictions: it is about understanding, and, for this, developing new eyes to see. I shall illustrate this point with some concrete cases, including the birth of quantum theory in Einstein’s intuition, curved spacetimes and quanta of space.

Keywords

CopernicusNewtonPenroseDarwinEinsteinFaradayHipparchusAristarchusperspectival reasoningarrow of timevisual imagerycommunicating science
Type
Chapter
Information
Vision , pp. 107 - 130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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