What is the nature of the world and what can humanity understand of the world? These fundamental questions have occupied humanity for thousands of years. Natural scientists, theologians, philosophers, and laymen have approached these mysteries from various angles and developed competing pictures of the world. But how do worldviews emerge and fade away, and how are they connected with the acquisition of new insights and with developments in society?

In the tradition of scientific inquiry, epochal changes in living conditions and culture are brought about by science and experience. This tradition was continued by Einstein’s work, which radically transformed our understanding of basic terms like space, time, matter, and radiation.

His theories provide answers to questions about the structure of the world, most of which concern invisible dimensions that may seem abstract and far removed from everyday experience. In truth, invisible forces have always played a decisive role in the history of human culture. But how are such forces connected with the nature of the world, both on the micro level and on the grand scale, and how do we really know anything about what constitutes these forces?