Frontiers Lecture Series 
"A Tear at the Edge of Creation: Cosmos, Life and the Search for a Final Theory "
Marcelo Gleiser
Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy
Dartmouth College
Monday, May 10, 2010
DeMeritt 112
Talk: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Refreshments/Book Signing: before & after talk
3:40 & 5:00 p.m.
Can we find a Final Theory that explains Nature in all of its complexity? Or is this search fundamentally misguided, more a dream than a reality? Some of the greatest scientists of all time, Kepler, Newton, Faraday, Einstein, Heisenberg, and Schrödinger, believed in and searched for this elusive "hidden code of Nature." In this talk, I will argue that the belief in a Final Theory is rooted in the monotheistic religious tradition. Examining the teachings of modern science, from theories about the origin of the universe to the origin of matter and of life, we learn a very different lesson: that Nature's creative engine depends on asymmetries that manifest themselves in all levels of complexity. This revelation has implications for all of us. 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? I will argue that although life may exist elsewhere, intelligent life is exceedingly rare. This makes us very important in the big scheme of things. Being rare and precious, we have the moral directive to preserve life and this planet. And we don't have a minute to waste.
BIO: Professor Marcelo Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and Professor of Physics and Astornomy at Dartmouth College. A Fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of the National Science Foundation and White House Presidential Faculty Fellows Award, he is the author of over 80 peered-reviewed papers and dozens of conference proceedings contributions. He is the author of three popular science books, most recently "A Tear at the Edge of Creation: A Radical New Vision for Life in an Imperfect Universe," and appears frequently in radio interviews and TV documentaries here and abroad. He is co-founder of the science and culture blog "13.7" hosted by National Public Radio.
All are invited to attend book signing and lecture
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