Not since Fritjof Capras The Tao of Physics have physics and philosophy joined together in such a fascinating book.. When physicists and others construct models to explain the phenomena and laws of nature, do those models actually simulate whats really out there in the world, or do they only synthesize the way we think the world is? And how does our cultural upbringing affect the way we think about the world? In this far-reaching yet penetrating book, two world-class physicists, one born and raised in the West, the other in the Far East, examine these and many other intriguing questions not yet resolved by modern scientists. Set in an unusual formata modern-day version of Platos Academy Rothman and Sudarshan delve deep into modern science and eastern philosophy, and come up with some startling insights on the structure of the physical world. Unlike some books that claim to unite physics and mysticism, Doubt and Certainty is a hard-headed examination of these questions. }When scientists and philosophers construct models to explain the phenomena and laws of nature, do those models simulate whats really out there in the world, or do they only represent the languages we use to describe the world? In this far-reaching, thought-provoking book, two world-class physicists from different worldsone born and raised in the West, the other in the Eastexamines some of the most profound questions ever to be investigated by science.Against the background of one of the most imaginative settings ever devised for a science booka fictional modern-day version of Platos AcademyTony Rothman and George Sudarshan, along with an eclectic assortment of students and academics, delve deep into modern physics and Eastern philosophy, and come up with startling insights on the structure of the physical world. To gain these insights, the Academy members must tackle questions such as, How much of the millennium synthesis of science and philosophy is meaningful and how much is pure nonsense? Which New Age trends are compatible with physics? Can we learn anything from parallels between physics and Eastern philosophy?The common thread that runs through the debates is the tension between the seemingly opposite, but really complementary, notions of doubt and certainty: doubt that certain fields of science really succeed in describing the world versus the rock-solid certainty in the predictions of theories like Newtons mechanics and Einsteins relativity. In these intriguing, often funny, sometimes violent, but always stimulating debates, Rothman and Sudarshan cover a wide range of subjects, including cosmology, quantum mechanics, theology, mathematics, complexity, synchronicity, and the past and future. }

Table of Contents:
Prologue: The Question; First Debates: Is the Universe Describable? Laws, Principles, Theories and Models; Second Debates: Is Nature Unreasonably Mathematical? Mathematics, Theories and Reality; Third Debates: Is the World Symmetrical? Friezes, Particles and Groups; Fourth Debates: Why Do Things Happen? Causality, Synchronicity and All That; Fifth Debates: Does Time Go Forward? Past and Future; Sixth Debates: Why is there Left and Right? Chirality, Complexity and Emergent Properties; Seventh Debates: Is the Universe Weird? Quantum Mechanics; Eighth Debates: Is There an Answer? Theories of Everythin g; Ninth Debates: How Did We Get Here? Cosmology (Part 1): General Relativity and the Standard Model (Part 2): Inflation, Quantum Cosmology and Quantum Theology; Tenth Debates: What Do You Mean? Metaphors, Analogies, Culture Wars; Supplemental Debate: Can We Make Any Money Off This? Applied Quantum Mechanics; Commentaries on the Debates.