FANGLIZHI
663
I do not wish to give the impression that beauty in physics is to be
equated only with symmetry. Quite the contrary, physics often investi–
gates phenomena that are highly chaotic and random, as well as ones
that exhibit a high degree of symmetry. If it can be said that the ancient
physicist preferred explanations that drew upon the principles of regular–
ity, proportion, and balance, then modem physicists seem equally drawn
to disorder, chaos, and disequilibrium. Einstein's 1905 paper on special
relativity revealed profound symmetries involving time and space, the
relative and the absolute. Yet in the same year he published a paper on
Brownian motion, presenting an extremely refined theory about one of
the most random processes in nature. In the nineteenth century the
mathematician Charles Hermite observed, "Things that are not elegant
have no place in rigorous science; they are merely rubbish." By contrast,
the modem physicist John
A.
Wheeler commented, "It is possible to be–
lieve that no one
will
be considered scientifically literate tomorrow who
is not ... familiar with fractals," fractals here associated with extreme
inelegance. Is there any beauty to be found in disorder, chaos, and dise–
quilibrium? In the words of Hermann Weyl, "Asymmetry is almost never
due to a complete absence of symmetry." Interestingly, in the arts it is
often noted that perfect symmetry is usually not the most desirable or
beautiful state of affairs. Rather, what is most satisfactory is some
combi–
nation
of symmetry and disorder. And perhaps it can even be said that
modem physics has already begun to discover evidence for this esthetic
"formula."
As one might expect, modern physics is now devoting itself to un–
derstanding the relationship between symmetry and asymmetry, regularity
and disorder, equilibrium and disequilibrium, order and chaos. What has
been discovered so far is that symmetry can spontaneously give rise to
asymmetry, that there is an essential order underlying chaos, that equilib–
rium depends upon disequilibrium, and that organization can arise out of
randomness. In modem art and music, harmony often comes from disso–
nance, disjointed rhythms arise out of strict meter, and chaotic fragments
come together to create a sense of unity. All this seems to indicate that
these works are in some sense created in accordance with the esthetic
principles in physics. About the relationship of physics to art, David
Bohm has said, "Physics is a form of intuition, just like a form of art."
And the form this intuition takes involves creativity, structuring, and a
free play of the imagination. The English physicist John Tyndall said,
"Accurate experiments and observations constitute the foundations of the
edjfice of science, but imagination itself plays the role of the architect."
Einstein voiced this in even clearer terms:
If, then, it is true that
this
axiomatic basis of theoretical physics can-
