Science is a ‘methodology’: a particular way of observing and explaining the world, of answering the one big question: “What must the world be like, in order that it produce the phenomena we observe?” Part two of this four part series applies the language and logic of Science to the task of distilling from our observations of worldly affairs the fundamental elements of ‘reality’ – of what the world must, or at least must not, be like – and to construct from them a reasonable model o... [More]

Science is a ‘methodology’: a particular way of observing and explaining the world, of answering the one BIG question: “What must the world be like, that it produce the phenomena we observe?” Part three of this four part series retraces the unfolding of the Scientific Revolution: the evolution of classical physics, chemistry and electromagnetism from Democritus and Aristotle to Maxwell and Einstein. It’s a monumental tale of achievement; and by the end of the nineteenth century, we ... [More]

Science is a ‘methodology’: a particular way of observing and explaining the world, of answering the one big question: “What must the world be like, that it produce the phenomena we observe?” The final part of this four part series explores why, around the turn of the twentieth century, classical “Newtonian” mechanics gave way to a completely new paradigm: Quantum Mechanics (QM). In this course, we review some of the experimental phenomena that Classical Mechanics simply cannot expl... [More]

Join some of our leading astronomers and physicists in this series of special lectures about ten “big ideas” in modern astronomy and physics. Exploring topics from subatomic physics to black holes and cosmology, and discussing some of the latest research, this course will bring you up-to-date on recent discoveries in our understanding of the universe. An evening of star viewing in the Blue Mountains is included. Details of the excursion to the Blue Mountains will be confirmed in cla... [More]

Science is a ‘methodology’: a particular way of observing and explaining the world, of answering the one big question: “What must the world be like, in order that it produce the phenomena we observe?” Part one of this four part series elaborates the ‘language’ of Science – the meaning of reality, existence, causation, observation, explanation, and truth; and its ‘logic’ – its premises, its rules of engagement, and its strengths and limitations. This course is part of a series and sh... [More]

Stephen Hawking’s new book The Grand Design raises many important questions, not all of which are answered satisfactorily. Some examples: how does the universe come into being? Does it need a creator? Is “being” mysterious? What is “reality” (in the post-quantum mechanics world)? Can one theory explain all the forces and the “fundamental numbers”? Are we at a critical point in the history of science? Can we “choose” our universe? Is there a “grand design”? And, if there is, would we... [More]