1 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Philosophy of Physics It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of the rational-reductionist tradition begun when Thales claimed that “All things are made of water” [1]. However the ancient Greek philosophers did not believe in the usefulness of experimen- tation; their investigations into Nature came from reasoning alone. Of course this emphasis on logic over the physical caused certain difficulties, culminating most famously with Zeno and his arguments against the possibility of motion [2]. Modern philosophy of science places primacy in experiment: the usefulness of a scientific theory is measured by its falsifiability [3]. And while many in the string theory community have reverted to measuring progress based on aesthetics [4], I am a devout Popperite. This thesis is broadly organized as follows. The experimental and theo- retical advances leading to QCD as the unique theory of the strong nuclear