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Imagine if someone marched up and told you that Shakespeare was crap. You would assume she was either stupid or ill informed (possibly both). Those who argue that particle physics is irrelevant or unsexy must lead similarly impoverished lives. Physically, it is the science of the very small - the stuff inside atoms - but its ramifications are beyond big. By smashing atoms together at higher and higher energies, we creep ever closer to replicating the moment of the universe’s creation in the Big Bang.

Given that nobody can explain exactly how the universe came to be dominated by matter, which eventually formed itself in free-thinking blobs called human beings, I’d say the experiments about to get underway at Cern are a damned big deal. And not only because doomsayers have suggested the Cern experiment might have an outside chance of creating an Armageddon-causing black hole. Getting closer to the beginning of time and space should inspire us to think profound thoughts.

For example, cosmology, the study of the nature and origins of the universe, embraces philosophy and religion. Only the dullest person cannot have wondered at what the purpose of the universe is, how it came to be here (was it a freaky accident, which explains why we haven’t found life anywhere beyond Earth?) and why it has given risen to a species - people - able to think so deeply about their place in it.

Not only that, but some of the most fascinating theories in physics - such as string theory - have made scientists look hard at what science actually is. If we can’t test a theory - this is currently the case for string theory - should it be regarded as science or faith? Such questions are particularly relevant now, given that there are those who would like to see religion compete with science as an overarching explanation of why the world exists. We should, of course, resist such manoeuvres; particle physics gives us the tools and the evidence to fight the good fight.

In short, the cultural illiteracy of those who dismiss particle physics astounds me. Yes, big science is expensive, but so are the arts and sports. Just think of the billions we will lavish on the 2012 Olympics! I think particle physics is incredibly sexy and should be pursued for its own sake but, just as some women unaccountably desire short, bald men, perhaps we should accept that not everyone is blessed with great taste in ideas.

Click here to read Mitesh Patel's response: The astonishing profits in particle physics

A Battle of Ideas debate on "Particle physics is sexy!" will take place on Sunday, October 28 at 17.45

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Anjana Ahuja is a columnist for The Times. She holds a PhD in space physics