Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics AstrayIn this "provocative" book (New York Times), a contrarian physicist argues that her field's modern obsession with beauty has given us wonderful math but bad science. Whether pondering black holes or predicting discoveries at CERN, physicists believe the best theories are beautiful, natural, and elegant, and this standard separates popular theories from disposable ones. This is why, Sabine Hossenfelder argues, we have not seen a major breakthrough in the foundations of physics for more than four decades. The belief in beauty has become so dogmatic that it now conflicts with scientific objectivity: observation has been unable to confirm mindboggling theories, like supersymmetry or grand unification, invented by physicists based on aesthetic criteria. Worse, these "too good to not be true" theories are actually untestable and they have left the field in a cul-de-sac. To escape, physicists must rethink their methods. Only by embracing reality as it is can science discover the truth. |
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aesthetic already appear argument assumptions atoms beauty become believe better black hole boson calculate called century combined consistent constant continues cosmological dark matter describe distances don’t electron energy everything example existing expect experiments explain fermions field Figure fine-tuning force foundations fundamental Garrett give gravity happens Higgs human idea interaction interesting it’s known laws of nature light look mass math mathematical means measurement method multiverse observations parameters particles philosophers physicists physics possible predictions presently Press principle problem properties quantum mechanics question reason relativity requires scientific scientists seems sense space special relativity standard model string theory successful supersymmetry susy symmetry talk tell theoretical theorists there’s things thought trying turned ugly understand universe wave Weinberg wrong