Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray

Description

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. 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