Loading...
Loading...
Speaking at a session titled “Global Unity, Peace, and Physics”, Rovelli discussed how scientific understanding can help bridge human and cultural divides, emphasising that “everything is connected – space, time, matter, and energy – and that same sense of connection is what humanity needs most today.”
In a live demonstration, Rovelli held up a bottle of water to illustrate his point.
“This bottle has mass, temperature, and pressure – that’s physics. But it also contains salt, minerals, and bacteria – that’s chemistry and biology. Its plastic tells the story of our society and economy,” he said. “Reality is never just one thing. The best description of the world comes from many perspectives, all connected and inside one another.”
Rovelli, Emeritus Professor at the Centre de Physique Théorique in Marseille, explained how this holistic view of reality reflects how science can bring people closer. “When we learn to see the universe as interconnected, we also learn to understand one another better,” he noted.
When asked how humans perceive time, Rovelli replied with a smile, “Wrongly.” He explained how time does not flow uniformly but varies depending on gravity, energy, and movement. Demostrating with two watches placed at different heights, he observed, “The higher one ticks faster. Even our head is slightly older than our feet.”
He described this as a reminder that our experience of time is an illusion, and that the universe functions on a far deeper, more complex level than everyday perception suggests.
Throughout his session, Rovelli drew parallels between physics, cooperation, and peace. “When we study the cosmos, we learn humility,” he said. “Protons and neutrons collaborate to form atoms; atoms unite to create molecules; and our cells work together to keep us alive. Why can’t we do the same?”
He criticised global expenditure on warfare and militarised artificial intelligence, describing it as “irrational in a universe that thrives on cooperation.”
“The best defence," Rovelli stated, “is disarming each other, not arming. Peace is rational, even scientific, because balance and cooperation are what sustain the universe itself.”
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme “It’s Between You and a Book”, the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair continues to serve as a global meeting point for authors, thinkers, and readers. The 12-day event features over 300 cultural activities, 750 workshops, and 85 live performances, reaffirming Sharjah’s role as a global capital of culture and knowledge exchange.
For an optimal experience, please
rotate your device to portrait mode.
