As the details of our curriculum below may make clear, although this course does not use the language of mathematics it is nonetheless the "real deal." We will discuss some of these topics in depth, and will not be afraid to confront the difficult questions.
A review and extension of the theories of relativity from the first term, inevitably from my perspective instead of Professor Logan's. One of the big words in this term will be complementarity; Professor Logan and my approaches to relativity will probably be an example of complementarity .
What happens in the world that allows symmetric structures? Perhaps an equivalent question: what happens in our minds that perceives symmetric structures? What do we really see when we look in a mirror? Mirrors are often not allowed in Zen monasteries. This is also a good point to introduce notions of antimatter.
What distinguishes the future from the past? Is there such a moment as the present? This topic can easily lead us to a discussion of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, or Prigogine's work on the emergence of structures, or evolution. The topic of chaos could dominate this section; if so then the effect of computing technology on the way science is carried will necessarily also be part of the discussion.
We will probably spend more time on this topic than any other in this curriculum. We begin with a discussion of two of the major paradoxes/experiments of quantum mechanics. These are:
The principle focus of our discussion could then revolve around the idea of intermediate levels of partially unmanifested reality. Schrödinger's interest in the Vedanta will be explored, and similarities of Hindu concepts to Schrödinger's form of quantum theory will likely be explored. Heisenberg's form of quantum theory will be contrasted with Schrödinger's, and compared to Buddhists concepts. Bohr's Complementarity Principle will be discussed and compared with Taoist ideas of unification. I would like to carry the discussion as far as the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, Bell's theorem, and Bohm's holographic paradigm for reality.
This topic is usually called "Elementary Particle Physics", which I believe pre-judges the whole question. In addition to discussing the quark model of elementary particle physics, we shall discuss the alternative view often called the bootstrap. The more modern manifestation of the bootstrap, called superstring theory, will also be explored.
This page last revised 08/30/01 (m/d/y).