Anthony Zee is a distinguished particle physicist who presently holds joint appointments at the University of California and the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Santa Barbara. In Fearful Symmetry he has written a sprightly, partisan history of 20th century physics that bright students will enjoy immensely. Zee does not deal with all of 20th century physics. He is concerned solely with the physicist's search for beauty, which, to his eyes, means one and only one thing—the quest for symmetry in nature.
Throughout the book, Zee takes the point of view of an artist: "Let us worry about beauty first, and truth will take care of itself." He argues that the demand that nature be symmetrical has led to the most successful theories. "Symmetrical" in physics has a particular meaning that is not too distant from that implied when an artist or architect uses the term. A physicist will say, for ...
