A contrarian argues that modern physicists' 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.
Author(s): Sabine Hossenfelder
Publisher: Basic Books
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 304
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 6
Dedication......Page 9
Epigraph......Page 10
Preface......Page 11
Chapter 1: The Hidden Rules of Physics......Page 12
Chapter 2: What a Wonderful World......Page 27
Chapter 3: The State of the Union......Page 50
Chapter 4: Cracks in the Foundations......Page 76
Chapter 5: Ideal Theories......Page 96
Chapter 6: The Incomprehensible Comprehensibility of Quantum Mechanics......Page 124
Chapter 7: One to Rule Them All......Page 142
Chapter 8: Space, the Final Frontier......Page 172
Chapter 9: The Universe, All There Is, and the Rest......Page 194
Chapter 10: Knowledge Is Power......Page 219
Acknowledgments......Page 233
About the Author......Page 234
Also by Sabine Hossenfelder......Page 235
Appendix A: The Standard Model Particles......Page 236
Appendix B: The Trouble with Naturalness......Page 238
Appendix C: What You Can Do to Help......Page 240
Notes......Page 244
Index......Page 273
