Spectrum

with John Barrow

and with Colin Tudge

John Barrow, Professor of Astronomy at Sussex University, explores physicists' desire to devise a theory to explain the material world. How modern scientists theories of everything differ from ancient myth makers. Ancient myths were often too broad and consequently contrived. What "laws of nature" actually are. What are the important features of a law of nature? There are centre "bottom lines" in science that have to be taken almost as acts of faith. (10'30") how the underlining structure of nature can be expressed in mathematical terms. Until recently most physicists would have thought that a theory of everything was a dream, but many now believe that there is an underlying structure. Is presumptious to assume that we should find the underlying structure so quickly (i.e. after only a few decades of looking). It may be that a theory of everything will be unfindable or untestable with present-day technology.