In this episode of the podcast, Dan and Catherine welcome Dr. Aaron Dominguez, a professor of physics from The Catholic University of America. Dr. Dominguez specializes in particle physics and shares his experience of working on particle colliders, particularly his study of the Higgs Boson, also called the “God particle.”
Looking at Cosmology through a Subatomic Lens
Dr. Dominguez’s area of study, particle physics, focuses on the building blocks of the entire universe and how they fit together in the subatomic world. Although particle physics can’t necessarily explain concepts like gravity yet, it studies how particles interact and use energy to make the universe function.
According to Dr. Dominguez, particle physics demonstrates how amazing it is that the universe is so profoundly ordered, even at the subatomic level. Nothing guarantees that the universe is intelligible, yet it most certainly is.
Finding Meaning through Subatomic Science
Dr. Dominguez explains how we are made to make sense of the universe. There is an implicit truth and order to the universe that subjects like math help us make sense of. The facts we discover in science help us to find the truth of the universe and ultimately lead us to question the nature of existence on a deep level.
According to Dr. Dominguez, science may not be able to answer the deeper questions of existence, but it can certainly lead us to the questions and inform us. Every particle in the universe was initially created out of nothing and nonetheless has a deep order, which we can study in a fundamentally profound way through fields like particle physics. Science helps us recognize the possibility of a loving creator and the beauty written into the very fabric of reality.
Take a Listen
This episode demonstrates that profound and purposeful order can be found even on the subatomic level. The more we study the world, the more we discover that science is constantly pointing towards deeper meaning in the world. We should always challenge ourselves to look beyond the physical world and question the signs of deeper intelligibility in the world.
