  Asymptotic freedom was developed as a response to two paradoxes: the
weirdness of quarks, and in particular their failure to radiate copiously when
struck; and the coexistence of special relativity and quantum theory, despite
the apparent singularity of quantum field theory. It resolved these paradoxes,
and catalyzed the development of several modern paradigms: the hard reality of
quarks and gluons, the origin of mass from energy, the simplicity of the early
universe, and the power of symmetry as a guide to physical law.
