Asymptotic Freedom 1. Understanding Asymptotic Freedom in Qcd

I discuss how the basic phenomenon of asymptotic freedom in QCD can be understood in elementary physical terms. Similarly, I discuss how the long-predicted phenomenon of “gluonization of the proton” – recently spectacularly confirmed at HERA – is a rather direct manifestation of the physics of asymptotic freedom. I review the broader significance of asymptotic freedom in QCD in fundamental physics: how on the one hand it guides the interpretation and now even the design of experiments, and how on the other it makes possible a rational, quantitative theoretical approach to problems of unification and early universe cosmology.