Farewell to Reality: Book Review
This book explores the state of modern physics and suggests that theoretical physics has passed over into fairy tales. The author suggests that many of the models proposed by theoretical physicists today are untestable, not that they have not yet been tested, but they can never be tested. These theories have become total disconnected from empirical evidence, i.e., reality, and therefore threaten the vary basis of science. He shows that this has led to theoretical physicists providing a scientific veneer to theological arguments, particularly the strong anthtropic principle in cosmology.
This book is very well written and is probably the best overview of modern theoretical physics I have ever read. The book starts out by providing the “standard” understanding of modern physics. Then it proceeds to examine some of the problems in physics, starting with Newton’s gravity as force at a distance. He examines some of the early debates about quantum mechanics and then moves onto the standard model of particle physics and cosmology. However it is not until he gets to String Theory, M-Brane or M-Theory and related ideas. In my opinion, the author gives most of these ideas in physics the benefit of the doubt. The author is respectful and provides overwhelming arguments before he calls any particular model fairy tale physics. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in these issues.
Now for my criticisms: the book’s vague development of what constitutes science, while perhaps generous to the ideas he is criticizing is hardly a rigorous statement of the foundations of science. In part, this is because the author buys into a platonic view of reality. Strangely enough many of the models he criticizes also are based on a platonic view of reality. If his foundations of science were more closely aligned with those of the enlightenment his arguments would be strengthened and he would find the source of the problems started earlier in physics than the book portrays. If you are interested how anti-enlightenment philosophical ideas caused physics to go off course leading to the problems today see Absurdities in Modern Physics: A Solution, by Paul Marmet.
This book is part of a growing chorus that modern physics has lost its way and therefore all of science has also.
No comments yet.
-
Recent
- Adam Mossoff on the VENUE ACT
- F. A. Hayek: Austrian Economics vs. Objectivism
- Carl Menger: Austrian Economics vs. Objectivism
- Economics, Evolution, and Rand’s Meta-Ethics (Intellectual Capitalism: Fundamentals Part 2)
- Latest Amazon review of my book Source of Economic Growth.
- Dale Halling and William R Thomas – Austrian Economics and Objectivism Panel: Atlas Summit 2016
- Dale Halling – Economics, Evolution, and Rand’s Meta-Ethics: Atlas Summit 2016
- Aristotle and Rand vs Hume: Causation and Induction
- Intellectual Capitalism: Fundamentals Part 1
- Adam Mossoff on Property Rights: A Must Read for Capitalists and Patent Attorneys
- Is Capitalism a game of the Survival of the Fittest?
- Libertarians vs Classical Liberals on Patents and Inventors
-
Links
-
Archives
- March 2016 (3)
- February 2016 (5)
- January 2016 (1)
- December 2015 (3)
- November 2015 (5)
- October 2015 (1)
- September 2015 (5)
- August 2015 (3)
- May 2015 (1)
- March 2015 (1)
- February 2015 (3)
- December 2014 (3)
-
Categories
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
Leave a Reply