Science as a Quest for Universal Laws ― An Original Definition, Illustrated by Key Historical Examples

Modern science is barely four centuries old, although attempts to understand the material world go back much further. This paper explores the idea that many of the most fundamental scientific laws were born in so-called Eureka moments: In a very simple way, the essence of the law is grasped, before it is formulated in mathematical equations; extremely difficult to solve, sometimes. A number of landmark episodes are selected: Galileo’s celebrated “Dialogue”; Einstein’s “happiest thought”; Planck’s discovery of a constant comparable to Newton’s; Meitner and Frisch’s decisive winter walk; and several other. Also discussed is the recent experimental confirmation of the equivalence principle in the quantum domain. These historical examples will be examined in perspective, while addressing through them some enduring questions: Do we really understand classical physics better than quantum physics? Is “physical reality” still a meaningful concept? We have discovered fundamental laws and learned how to use them to accomplish an extraordinary range of things. But, do we truly understand everything we know how to do? It is often said that nobody understands quantum mechanics. We shall argue that nobody understands classical physics either, if we define “understanding” as: “having a clear idea of why”.