<P>John Baez is a distinguished theorist in quantum loop gravity, which is assumed as a main competitor of superstrins theory to become a TOE ("theory of everything"). Here's his 'crackpot index", i.e., his arguments and criteria what kind of "new theories" should not be taken "seriously" by "true scientists":</P>
<P><A href="http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html">http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html</A></P>
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<DIV>Here's my view of this, as sent to Prof. Baez:</DIV>
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<DIV>Dear Prof. Baez!<BR><BR>I have just examined Your crackpot index. I got a great plesure, thank<BR>You. When I was in charge for answering some crackpots, declining<BR>classical mechanical conservation laws, I derived 2 simple rules for<BR>myself:<BR><BR>a) If I am not able to meet crackpot's arguments in their essense, I fail.<BR>b) If I am not able to formulate short, I fail to beat this crackpot.<BR><BR>So.<BR><BR>a) Your list seems to be too long. Any good classification uses from 3<BR>to 7 points.<BR><BR>b) Mentioning Feynman is not forbidden for crackpots as well for<BR>well-mannered physicists, taught not to say bad words. If one uses<BR>double standards, 5 points to suspect him as pseudo-scientist.<BR><BR>c) Current quantum theory does not indeed provide "underlying<BR>mechanism". It is not a tradegy, but it is exactly so.<BR><BR>d) Providing "uderlying mechanism" without new predictions but also<BR>without contradictions to current knowledge has no difference
to<BR>current knowledge. No differnece, let me point, means it is not<BR>better, but it is not worse as well.<BR><BR>d) Russian proverb says that "7 miles is not a loop for crazy dog".<BR>So, if "alternative" theory provides a shorter way, even without new<BR>predictions, it's better than current theory. It is moreover better,<BR>if point (d) is valid.<BR><BR>e) 2 or even more theories, equivalent in predictions, are equivalent.<BR>Equivalent, in my terms, is simply equivalent :) The difference is in<BR>authority of "main" theory shareholders. No more difference.<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR><BR>Pavel V. Kurakin,<BR>Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences.<BR></DIV><p>
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