From the discovery of new galaxies and nearly undetectable dark energy to the quantum entanglement of particles across the universe, new findings in physics naturally elicit a sense of awe and wonder. For the founders of modern physics — from Einstein and Bohr to Heisenberg, Pauli, and Bohm — a fascination with deeper questions of meaning and ultimate reality led some of them to explore esoteric traditions and metaphysics. More recently, however, physicists have largely shunned such philosophical and spiritual associations. What can contemporary physics offer us in the quest to understand our place in the universe? Has physics in some ways become a religion unto itself that rejects the search for existential meaning? October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning Panel Steve Paulson Journalist and Executive Producer, TTBOOK Adam Frank Professor of Astrophysics, University of Rochester David Kaiser Professor of the History of Science, MIT Tim Maudlin Professor of Philosophy, New York University Priyamvada Natarajan Professor of Astronomy and Physics, Yale UniversityDetailsWednesday, February 4, 2015 7:00 pm - 8:30 pmThe New York Academy of Sciences7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, 40th FloorAnnals This volume brings together leading physicists, philosophers and writers to explore the relevance of modern-day physics to our understanding of perennial questions confronting human existence. Read moreAbout This Series This event is part of the Beyond the Big Bang: Searching for Meaning in Contemporary Physics series, which brings together leading physicists, philosophers, historians, and writers to explore the multiple scientific and philosophical dimensions suggested by modern physics, including how recent discoveries are impacting our enduring search for meaning in the universe.Sponsors Recommended Reads EventsBeyond the Big Bang: Searching for Meaning in Contemporary Physics October 14, 2014 The Origins of the Universe: Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? December 10, 2014 The Unification of Physics: The Quest for a Theory of Everything February 4, 2015 Transcending Matter: Physics and Ultimate Meaning Highlights Is There an Ultimate Reality? Feb 04, 2015 09:03 5988 Does the Universe Have Meaning? Feb 04, 2015 05:59 2777 Physics and the Meaning of Our Existence Feb 04, 2015 08:50 3253 Quantum Physics and New Age Ideas Feb 04, 2015 05:58 4161 Philosophers and Physicists on Free Will Feb 04, 2015 02:54 3494 How Has the Higgs Boson Changed Physics? Feb 04, 2015 02:14 1975 Video Title To Be Dynamically Inserted Here 05:48 1345 × MorePREVIOUS EVENTAfter LifeNEXT EVENTA New Science of Happiness: The Paradox of Pleasure