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String Theory a Disaster for Physics?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the sure-is-a-disaster-for-my-brain dept.

BlueCup writes "Mathematician Peter Woit of Columbia University describes string theory in his book Not Even Wrong,. He calls the theory 'a disaster for physics.' Which would have been a fringe opinion a few years ago, but now, after years of string theory books reaching the best sellers list, he has company."

5 of 737 comments (clear)

  1. Re:the universe by FudRucker · · Score: 0, Redundant

    lolz!

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
  2. Re:Man... by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You are hurting my brain

  3. Re:Man... by LouisZepher · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Too goddamned long...

  4. sounds like... by obnoxiousbastard · · Score: 0, Redundant

    string theory was a diaster for someone's career.

    --
    Is that a SCSI connector or are you just glad to see me?
  5. Re:a counter argument by Mark+Maughan · · Score: 0, Redundant

    On the other hand, quantum mechanics explains gravity about as well as epicycles did.

    Quantum Mechanics doesn't even try to explain gravity. (And ordinary Quantum Mechanics can couple with gravity via the Wheeler-De-Witt equation, though that isn't fundamental like the Standard Model. Quantum Field Theory can work with classical GR. It is GR that can't be made into a renormalizable Quantum Field Theory.)

    How else were you planning on merging relativety with quantum mechanics? Until there is anything else resembling relativistic QCD, it would probably be wise to study string theory if for no other reason than to know which mistakes to avoid should it prove unworkable.

    I have no idea, but I'd like to see a broader spectrum of guess research. I don't like the sense of idea fads and idea marketing in physics.