Course Description

Instructor: Howard Page

What does physics have to do with hope?

This course explores a surprising idea: hope is not simply optimism or wishful thinking. It may be rooted in the way reality itself works. The universe does not merely fall apart; under the right conditions, it also builds new forms of order. Particles become atoms. Atoms become stars. Chemistry becomes life. Cells become bodies. Minds create language, culture, morality, science, religion, and meaning.

Based on Howard Page’s book, The Physics of Hope, this seven-week course uses stories, science, philosophy, and discussion to examine hierarchy, interaction, chaos, emergence, evolution, good and evil, science, spirituality, and religion. No background in physics or mathematics is required—only curiosity about how a world full of uncertainty can still be a world where new possibilities emerge.

A copy of the manuscript for The Physics of Hope will be provided to participants as a PDF file.

Bio: Howard Page is a writer and lifelong student of mathematics, physics, science, and human meaning. He studied mathematics and physics at Guilford College and has a master’s in applied mathematics from the University of Maryland. More recently, he earned a master’s degree in bioinformatics at Georgia Tech and is pursuing a masters in biochemistry while he researches the origins of life. His work brings together personal story, accessible science, philosophy, and spirituality to explore hope as participation in a world still capable of becoming new.