The Physics of Everything: Ambition, Failures, Successes with Mikhail Tikhonov

Physicists have pushed their methods far beyond traditional boundaries, applying them to cell biology, stock prices, animal behavior, even human language. But why does the traffic mostly flow one way? (Linguists have mostly stayed away from pronouncements on black holes!) Is physics genuinely special, bringing tools and approaches that travel unusually well across disciplines? Or does rolling cylinders down inclined planes for too long make one unusually arrogant? This talk will explore the origins, promises and pitfalls of this expansive ambition—and set the stage for our fall series, Interdisciplinarity and the Unity of Science.