[ExI] Discontent with the path physics is taking

[Dennis May]

The Witten lecture is fairly long.  Any specifics
on what would be a good reason to follow string
theory?  I've never heard a good one yet.
 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110803102844.htm
 
Various inflation bubble theories are all the rage right
now.  Rage #27 likely to last for a few years until rage
#28 is the new rage.
 
A sample of the discussion of an alternative.
 
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Physics_Frontier/message/70
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Physics_Frontier/message/199
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Physics_Frontier/message/1975
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Physics_Frontier/message/2915
 
Dennis May
 
 

Dennis

From: scerir <scerir at alice.it>
To: Dan <dan_ust at yahoo.com>; ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: [ExI] Discontent with the path physics is taking

Dennis May (fwd by Dan):
I do have a horse in the race and it is certainly true that I view string theory as interesting
mathematics with little value in physics - certainly not enough value to justify it having
taken over virtually all of theoretical physics everywhere in the world. The popularizations
that are still published are virtually all in lock step with perhaps one partially interesting book
every 5 years or so about all you can hope for.


# Ed Witten in these lecture pointed out many good (but also bad) reasons
to follow the string theory approach.
http://www.iop.org/resources/videos/lectures/page_44292.html

But I can agree. All that sometimes seems boring and useless.

Not by chance new principles sometimes appear in the literature,
like this "principle of mediocrity" :-)
http://arxiv.org/abs/1108.4990
But the paper by Vilenkin seems good food for thought.


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