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Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

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Re: Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

#11
post #4
post #3

Because the sophons have been sabotaging our experimental results

Great series to all who haven't read it!

How would those who haven't read it understand the reference?

If you're one of those people, I believe it's a reference to the "Three-Body Problem" series.

Re: Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

#12
post #5

I don’t get it. What does she want people to do?

Stop working on string theory, multiverse, or some of the other mainstream theories she mentioned. Start fresh about how to approach theoretical physics instead of taking the above mentioned theories almost as a given and trying to do science within that framework.

Re: Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

#14
post #5

I don’t get it. What does she want people to do?

She says:

"And please spare me the complaints that I supposedly do not have anything better to suggest, because that is a false accusation. I have said many times that looking at the history of physics teaches us that resolving inconsistencies has been a reliable path to breakthroughs, so that’s what we should focus on. I may be on the wrong track with this, of course. But for all I can tell at this moment in history I am the only physicist who has at least come up with an idea for what to do."

I'm no physicist, so I can't have a (useful) opinion, but she does offer at least a broad suggestion of what to do.

Re: Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

#17
post #7

Actually, string theory arose as a way of doing exactly what this person requests. It was noticed that quantum field theory and gravity do not go together, so it was attempted to do something about this. So, it did not really work out? Well, you know the thing with this kind science is that it is unknowable beforehand what you are or are not going to find.

Point was, math is one thing, reality is another.

Re: Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

#18
post #7

Actually, string theory arose as a way of doing exactly what this person requests. It was noticed that quantum field theory and gravity do not go together, so it was attempted to do something about this. So, it did not really work out? Well, you know the thing with this kind science is that it is unknowable beforehand what you are or are not going to find.

The claim of sceptics along these lines is that string theory has produced nothing in 50 years and some string theorists appear to be in denial of that.

Re: Why the foundations of physics have not progressed for 40 years

#19
post #4
post #3

Because the sophons have been sabotaging our experimental results

Great series to all who haven't read it!

It is a really good series, even if it is a bit like reading a sci-fi story whilst being beaten over the head with a physics textbook.
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