Meet the Unknown with Respect

High-temperature superconductivity stands as one of the most humbling discoveries in modern physics. Superconductors allow electrical current to flow without resistance, eliminating energy loss and promising revolutionary advances in energy transmission, transportation, and computation. Early superconductors, operating near absolute zero, fit comfortably within established theory. Electrons paired neatly, moved predictably, and obeyed equations that reflected order and control.

In 1986, Johannes Bednorz and Karl Alexander Müller discovered superconductivity in a new kind of ceramic at far higher temperatures than anyone expected, igniting a new era and overturning the old playbook. Their electrons interact too strongly. Fluctuate too collectively. Resist clean mathematical description. After decades of effort, physicists can measure these systems with precision, but still cannot agree on why they work. The materials do their thing without a hitch; and we’re still figuring out how.

From the perspective of the yogis, this deadlock is neither surprising nor alarming. They repeatedly emphasized that theories are not truths. They are instruments. Temporary structures built to approach reality, not contain it. The ancient Indian philosophical texts known as the Upanishads teach that all systems of knowledge are partial; steps, not finalities.