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Physics deals with the fundamental questions of the natural sciences. How are matter and the cosmos constructed? The investigation of the fundamental laws of nature has resulted in great successes. Today we know how matter interacts with electromagnetic radiation, how galaxies, stars and planets are formed and where stars get their luminosity from. Even mysteries such as the origin of life are now being investigated from a physical perspective. The basis for these successes is the interplay between theoretical calculation and prediction on the one hand and their experimental verification on the other. As a derivation from the confirmed laws of nature, however, functional assumptions also arose that have been reflected in technological developments of all kinds. Today, such technical structures dominate our everyday lives all over the world. Unfortunately, the mass application and use of technologies in industry, mobility and communication has resulted in serious environmental damage, which has itself become the subject of scientific research. Military armament, climate change and the finiteness of resources are just a few keywords here. Today we are faced with the big question of how we should deal sensibly with scientific results. Physics is therefore between triumph and tragedy, as Harald Lesch, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at LMU, Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Munich School of Philosophy and well-known science journalist, explains in his lecture as part of Science for Everyone.