IN QUEST OF REALITY

IN QUEST OF REALITY Through Science and Religion GALILEO (1564-1642) could only peer at the moon’s visible face through his humble telescope. In contemporary times, aided by spacecraft cameras, humanity now glimpses the moon’s hidden side. This basic example underscores the substantial chasm in scientific understanding spanning the past and the present. However, the price of accessing modern insights is markedly steep. On October 10, 1980, the world witnessed the installation of the most extensive telescope in New Mexico, incurring a staggering cost of $78 million. The American spacecraft Voyager, reaching Saturn in December 1980, commanded a hefty price tag of $340 million. CERN, the European particle physics facility, finalized its construction in 1981, aiming to dissect protons and transmute matter. The financial outlay for this institution amounted to $120 million. Presently, this establishment plans the inception of a grander research apparatus, estimated at $550 million. In the United States, a proton research machine came into being, amounting to $275 million, and so forth. The mounting fascination of individuals with particle physics manifests in the exponential growth of participation. In the 1927 physics conference, a mere 32 scientists participated, whereas in the 1980 conference, the number soared to 800 participants. The American Physical Society’s membership, which was a mere 1300 in 1920, surged to an astonishing 30,000 members by 1980. Contemporary research endeavours, predominantly in astronomy and particle physics, incubate results over protracted durations, often spanning 50 years or beyond. Comprehending the depreciation of capital allocated to these non-profit ventures, it is evident that a hundred-dollar investment’s value would dwindle to a single dollar half a century later. These contemporary pursuits gravitate toward astronomy and particle physics. Their fruits of inquiry manifest tardily, taking about five decades to crystallize. Accounting for the diminishing monetary worth of investments in these explorations (which accrue no interest), the span of fifty years sees a hundred dollars devalue to a solitary dollar. Many express reservations regarding such projects, citing excessive expenditure on what appears to be futile undertakings. Addressing this sentiment, American scholar Roger Penrose articulates: