Creating essential bridges uniting physics, society, and industry: A perspective from the South

Abstract

Creating essential bridges of unity demands a critical definition and clarification and validation of perspectives on physics, society, industry, and unity. How such definition and perspectives are arrived at involves processes that themselves determine the quality and success of cooperative endeavors.
Bridges of unity are never built in vacuum. Thus, there is a need to see authentically the moment, the place, and the situation. The processes and structures of society, the place and role of cultural and educational players and institutions these should be analytically examined from the perspectives of freedom and partnership.
Inevitably issues on bridges strike us in the face. Why, in the first place, should bridges be built? Bridges for whom? Bridges by whom? Bridges of whom? Bridges of what?
Varied answers to such questions grow from explicit or implicit philosophies of development. A talk and a walk on one such philosophy may stimulate productive reflection.
From all these considerations, certain strategies and tasks become logical and urgent. Studying some attempts at unity and cooperation among physics, society and industry may give some gainful insights. Yet, each one of us, partly defined by the world we individually structure, has his/her own list of strategies, tactics, and tasks. Dialogue and center to center relationship may help bring a confluence of ideas and actions. How we take up the challenges, in the midst of limitations, is also partly determined by the vision we see and the pilgrimage we take.