This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine.
When the world seems dark and scary, when compassion and tolerance seem in short supply, when hostility and hate make our future foreboding, hope comes from the place we might least expect it: science.
As the Roman philosopher Lucretius observed during similarly fraught times, back in 55 B.C.: “This dread and darkness of the mind cannot be dis...
The article presents science, particularly physics, as a source of moral guidance during times of uncertainty and strife. It argues that the principles of complementarity in quantum mechanics, which embrace mutually exclusive truths, can serve as a philosophical framework for understanding human nature and behavior. The piece suggests that cooperation and diversity are more effective strategies than self-interest and competition, drawing on game theory experiments and research on organizational ...