The Standard Model: Alchemy and Astrology *

In the days of Copernicus, the most prestigious activities at the Krakow Academy were studies of alchemy and astrology. Since that time a number of scientific revolutions, Copernican and otherwise, have advanced us to a more sophisticated view of the universe based on particle physics and astrophysics. A Standard Model (SM) has emerged with a precise comprehensive description of the constituents of matter and their interactions. This model is, by far, the most predictive and best tested scientific framework yet developed. There is a temptation to regard the Standard Model as a fixed edifice, completed and proofed. In the same spirit, the advent of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is seen as the ground–breaking for a new framework of physics beyond the Standard Model, with this new physics being the dominant concern of the LHC program. This way of thinking is incorrect. Our understanding of the Standard Model has evolved greatly in the decades since the first elements of the theory were put into place. This evolution will continue until a number of profound mysteries are resolved. Discoveries of physics beyond the SM may provide key insights, but the mysteries themselves involve the structure and dynamics of the Standard Model proper. The LHC will indeed provide us with the first direct access to a new framework of fundamental physics. The LHC will also probe the Standard