Of all the sciences, it is physics that has been seen as the key to understanding everything. As Feynman said "physics is the fundamental science." But might its dominance be over and could other sciences find themselves at the centre of our world view? Critics argue little advance has been made in core physics in the last fifty years. Numerous ideas have been proposed from supersymmetry to string theory, but few have been experimentally verified. A theory of everything once thought to be close is a distant mirage, and its original proponent Stephen Hawking abandoned the idea as impossible. Meanwhile from complex chemical and social systems, to computer science and information, other sciences have been proposed as the central core of our understanding.
Should we stop thinking that physics holds the central key to the universe? Should we give up on the notion of an underlying reality, and accept that we have only competing accounts of the world? Or is it too soon to consider abandoning what has arguably been humankind's most successful theory, transforming our ability to intervene and make sense of the world?
Philosopher and novelist Alex Rosenberg, philosopher of science John Dupré and professor of quantum physics Ivette Fuentes debate whether physics holds the answers to all our questions.