Physical Reality and Human Thought

This course for nonscience students will explore major ideas that shape our understanding of physical reality. The course will focus on the developments of modern physics, particularly relativity and quantum theory. The physical content of these ideas will be emphasized in a nonmathematical way, and their philosophical implications discussed. Tracing the historical development of physical theories will convey a sense of the evolutionary and revolutionary aspects of scientific progress. The course concludes with contemporary attempts to understand the evolution of the universe in terms of the most fundamental physical principles. (Not open to students who have completed PHYS 0201.) 3 hrs. lect.