Asymptotic freedom: from paradox to paradigm.

In theoretical physics, paradoxes are good. That’s paradoxical, since a paradox appears to be a contradiction, and contradictions imply serious error. But Nature cannot realize contradictions. When our physical theories lead to paradox we must find a way out. Paradoxes focus our attention, and we think harder. When David Gross and I began the work that led to this Nobel Prize [1, 2, 3, 4], in 1972, we were driven by paradoxes. In resolving the paradoxes we were led to discover a new dynamical principle, asymptotic freedom. This principle in turn has led to an expanded conception of fundamental particles, a new understanding of how matter gets its mass, a new and much clearer picture of the early universe, and new ideas about the unity of Nature’s forces. Today I’d like to share with you the story of these ideas.