The mystique of physics: Relumine the Enlightenment

Abstract

There is a mystique to physics because people are inherently receptive to the qualities that make physics special. It is this receptivity and the resulting mystique that makes Einstein the standard of greatness. However, neither the mystique nor the receptivity can be taken for granted. The near-reverent confidence that people have afforded physics is currently being challenged. What does this suggest for the physics classroom?