The Trouble with Physics: Difference between revisions

The Trouble with Physics

Book cover
Author	Lee Smolin
Language	English
Genre	Science
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date	2006
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	416 pp
ISBN	978-0618551057
OCLC	64453453
Dewey Decimal	530.14 22
LC Class	QC6 .S6535 2006

The Trouble With Physics is a 2006 book on the problems with string theory, by the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin.

Subtitled the Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next, the book strongly criticizes string theory and its prominence in contemporary theoretical physics, on the grounds that string theory has yet to come up with a single prediction that can be verified using any technology that is likely to be feasible within our lifetimes. Smolin also focuses on the difficulties faced by research in quantum gravity, and by current efforts to come up with a theory explaining all four fundamental interactions. More generally, the book is broadly concerned with the role of controversy and diversity of approaches in scientific processes and ethics.

Smolin suggests both that there appear to be serious deficiencies in string theory and that string theory has an unhealthy near-monopoly on fundamental physics in the USA, and that a diversity of approaches is needed. He argues that more attention should instead be paid to loop quantum gravity, an approach to quantum gravity co-devised by Smolin.

In the book, Smolin controversially claims that string theory makes no new testable predictions;^[1] that it has no coherent mathematical formulation; and that it has not been mathematically proved finite.^[2] Some experts in the theoretical physics community disagree with these statements.^[3][4]

Smolin states that to propose a string theory landscape having up to 10⁵⁰⁰ string vacuum solutions is tantamount to abandoning accepted science:

"The scenario of many unobserved universes plays the same logical role as the scenario of an intelligent designer. Each provides an untestable hypothesis that, if true, makes something improbable seem quite probable."^[5]

This statement is contradictory to the general interpretation of multiple vacua in theories such as quantum field theory, where they are not only perfectly acceptable solutions, but provide great insight into the theory, and can resolve problems with the theory.^[6]

The book generated much controversy and debate about the merits of string theory, and was criticised by some leading physicists including string theorists Joseph Polchinski,^[3] Luboš Motl,^[7] and Sean Carroll.^[8] Almost all of the reviews of this book by the theoretical physics community have been very negative, and have focused on attacking a diverse number of the claims made in his book.

Polchinski's review states, "In the end, these [Smolin and others'] books fail to capture much of the spirit and logic of string theory."

Motl's review goes as far to say "the concentration of irrational statements and anti-scientific sentiments has exceeded my expectations," and,

"In the context of string theory, he literally floods the pages of his book with undefendable speculations about some basic results of string theory. Because these statements are of mathematical nature, we are sure that Lee is wrong even in the absence of any experiments."

Sean Carroll's review expressed frustration because in his opinion, "The Trouble with Physics is really two books, with intertwined but ultimately independent arguments." He suggested that the arguments in the book appear divided:

"[one argument is] big and abstract and likely to be ignored by most of the book's audience; the other is narrow and specific and part of a wide-ranging and heated discussion carried out between scientists, in the popular press, and on the internet."

Furthermore,

"The abstract argument — about academic culture and the need to nurture speculative ideas — is, in my opinion, important and largely correct, while the specific one — about the best way to set about quantizing gravity — is overstated and undersupported."

Carroll fears that excessive attention paid to the specific dispute is likely to disadvantage the more general abstract argument.

Sabine Hossenfelder, in a review written a year later and titled "The Trouble With Physics: Aftermath" alludes to the book's polarising effect on the scientific community. She explores the author's views as a contrast in generations, while supporting his right to them^[9]. Hossenfelder believes that Smolin's book attempts to restore the relation physics once had with philosophy, quoting him as follows:

"Philosophy used to be part of the natural sciences – for a long time. For long centuries during which our understanding of the world we live in has progressed tremendously. There is no doubt that times change, but not all changes are a priori good if left without further consideration. Here, change has resulted in a gap between the natural sciences where questioning the basis of our theories, and an embedding into the historical and sociological context used to be. Even though many new specifically designed interdisciplinary fields have been established, investigating the foundations of our current theories has basically been erased out of curricula and textbooks."^[10]

A discussion in 2006 took place between UCSB physicists at KITP and science journalist George Johnson regarding the controversy caused by Smolin's and Peter Woit's books.^[11] The meeting was titled "The String Wars" to reflect the impression the media has given people regarding the controversy in string theory caused by Smolin's and Woit's books. A video of the proceedings is available at UCSB's website ^[12][13].

The physicists attending the discussion were fairly harsh and critical of the claims made in the books, calling some of them "extremely disturbing," and several physicists stated that Smolin is considered to be a "crackpot" by the mainstream physics community. Many of the physicists attending expressed varying levels of displeasure, ranging from apathy to outrage at the claims being made. Some reflected back and comparing this to similar situations in the past, such as John Horgan's 1996 book The End Of Science, where Horgan claimed that science was essentially "finished," and the outrage in the physics community this caused.

One physicist clarified that there is a "back story" for "why we seem to go off on a hair trigger" when string theory is criticized, alluding to some comments made earlier in the discussion that the string theory community had been refuting these same objections as made in Smolin's and Woit's books for more than a decade, and that, as a result "most people in this room don't care much for Woit's [or Smolin's] book."

Another physicist attending the meeting even stated Smolin was considered to be "two-faced" by many in the physics community for claiming to be not a string theory critic while publishing a book with a subtitle "the Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science."

Despite the harsh criticisms of the specific string theory claims made in the books, near the end of the discussion, several of the physicists attending said that they believed it is important to have discussions about controversies in scientific fields to educate people that science is not an instantaneous process, and that controversy is a normal part of science. However they went on to emphasize that such controversy must be put into the context of the rest of the scientific community, so the public understands if the authors are "outliers" or part of the "main body of the distribution" of scientists.

The discussion concluded with a dissenting opinion expressed by another physicist in the group. He thought that the public forum is not the right place to discuss these kinds of criticisms, since serious criticisms are already being discussed in the scientific community, and "fringe" claims have no place in scientific discussion at all.

• Quantum loop gravity
• String theory
• Peter Woit

• Peter Woit, 2006. Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory & the Continuing Challenge to Unify the Laws of Physics. Jonathan Cape (UK) and Basic Books (USA). The "other book" criticizing string theory and the stagnation of theoretical particle physics.
• Brian Greene, 1999. The Elegant Universe. Vintage Paperbacks. A nontechnical introduction to string theory.
• --------, 2004. The Fabric of the Cosmos. Penguin Books. Space, time, cosmology, and more string theory. Nontechnical
• Roger Penrose, 2004. The Road to Reality. Alfred A. Knopf. Technical.
• Lisa Randall, 2005. Warped Passages.
• Lee Smolin, 2001. Three Roads to Quantum Gravity.

• The Trouble with Physics, webpage maintained by the publisher, Houghton Mifflin.
• Joseph Polchinski (2007) "All Strung Out?" a review of The Trouble with Physics and Not Even Wrong, American Scientist 95(1):1.
  • Smolin's comment and Polchinsky's reply.
• Mindmap of the fundamental concepts described in the book.
• Talk-Show Debate Lee Smolin, Brian Greene (2006). Physicists Debate the Merits of String Theory [1]. National Public Radio, "Talk of the Nation" [2]. {{cite AV media}}: External link in |people=, |publisher=, and |title= (help)
• Indépendance des Chercheurs (March 2010), Lee Smolin, CNRS, crise et critique des institutions (I) - article 390 (in French)