Chris Search: A Physicist Who Admits that Physics doesn't Hold All of the Answers

Nicholas Forcellati

Tuesday, September 20th, I was sitting in class, feeling a bit under the weather and trying to stay focused with a cloudy head. I will admit, it was tough to be present for the first hour of class. Then, a man named Chris Search crossed the threshold of the doorway, and his energy was contagious. Well versed in the realm of quantum theory and physics as a whole, Search spoke with such confidence that it felt as if I had to believe every word that came out of his mouth. When my classmates asked him questions, no matter how simple, Search’s answers to the questions weren’t clear and concise, rather, they were clear and never-ending. He could spend fifteen minutes answering a question as simple as, “what’s your favorite color?”.

What makes Chris Search such a fascinating physicist is his balance of science and religion throughout his life. Growing up as the son of a pastor, theology dominated his adolescence, however, as he progressed into his twenties, his rebellious stage came out. Search assured himself, “... that physics held every answer to the universe,” and he was set on being an atheist. Then, as ideas like the Big Bang and String theory became more developed, Search quickly realized that the answer to the universe’s biggest questions do not lie solely in physics or religion, but rather in a combination of the two. 

At one point, he was discussing how radical of an idea the Big Bang is and stated so frankly, “There must’ve been some help…,” looking up at the sky, and then immediately continuing with, “Okay. Someone saw the afterglow of the Big Bang, maybe, but I’m not fully convinced that it tells the whole story.” Search spoke with such ease and was so nonchalant in defending his opinions on complex matters in physics. Listening to him monologue was different than anyone I’ve ever heard. The way he asserted his feelings on the symbiotic relationship between religion and physics was nothing other than completely unique. 

Search spoke on the earliest of scientists like Galileo, whose motivation for exploring our solar system was driven by the goal of finding God and the heavens. He proceeded with the Mind-Body Problem that Descartes tabled around the same time, attempting to understand how the conscious mind interacts with nerves and muscles. There wasn’t a single thing he said that diminished his argument, and Search had the classroom backing him with every word.

While Search is consistent in his stance on theology and science, summing up his thoughts by saying, “The two are not mutually exclusive,” he stays true to what physics is supposed to represent. Having “faith” in a theory, does not belong in the field of physics, and should remain in the light of religion. To expand on this point, Search progressed with the obscenity of String Theory, doubling down on the fact that physics is supposed to test theories, and you simply cannot test String Theory. Until a reasonable experiment can be proposed for the idea, Search will die on the hill that String Theory is, “Bullshit,” and believing in something that you can’t prove true is quite literally the basis of religion. So instead of trying to taint the dignity of physics, we should set ambiguous theories aside, and physicists should only entertain experimental hypotheses. When I asked him if “faith” can blur the vision of physicists, he responded with, “Absolutely. We’re all human,” but he’s still utterly embarrassed about String Theory’s mark on the reputation of physics. 

Hearing Search ramble about the obscenities in science was hilarious at times, but when he got serious about topics that he has mastered, like Quantum Theory, he commanded the room with his inquisitiveness. I can’t say that I fully understand the ideas involved in quantum physics, but Search definitely got me closer to understanding than anyone else could have. It was so effortless for him to break down the fundamental properties that Schrodinger’s Cat showed us about how in the quantum realm, the cat can be both dead and alive, based on subatomic events that may or may not occur. It was crazy how I was almost able to understand what the hell he was talking about. 

Another symbiotic relationship that Search highlighted was science’s dependence on advanced technology, and vice versa. The modern day example that he offered was in his own field: Quantum Computing. The physicist is quite skeptical about the possibility of quantum computers hitting the commercial markets in less than a decade, because even though quantum computing has been studied for some time now, in his opinion, the technology is not up to par yet. When Search made these remarks, I recalled the last article that I had written for this blog, and thought about how similar his takes were to our class discussions prior, on how the lack of technological advancements in the 21st century is hindering the progress of science. All of his points fit perfectly into our class discussion, and his time with us felt necessary for our experience in HST-401.

When Chris Search entered the classroom last Tuesday, I was just counting down the minutes for class to end. But when Chris Search exited the classroom, I was incredibly motivated by his views, and I would have listened to him go on for hours if I could have. The amount of words that he was able to fill into an hour and a half long window amazed me, and the way he answered our questions felt like he was prepared for anything we could throw at him. If there’s anything to be learned from Search’s experiences in science thus far, it’s that no problem can ever be solved by looking at it through a singular lens. Religion and physics go hand in hand, as do technology and physics, and Search proves that the combination of physics with principles from other disciplines is the only way to truly understand our universe.