Not Even Wrong

The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law for Unity in Physical Law

By: Peter Woit

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Paperback | 4 September 2007 | Edition Number 1

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320 Pages

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At what point does theory depart the realm of testable hypothesis and come to resemble something like aesthetic speculation, or even theology? The legendary physicist Wolfgang Pauli had a phrase for such ideas: He would describe them as "not even wrong," meaning that they were so incomplete that they could not even be used to make predictions to compare with observations to see whether they were wrong or not. In Peter Woit's view, superstring theory is just such an idea. In Not Even Wrong , he shows that what many physicists call superstring "theory" is not a theory at all. It makes no predictions, even wrong ones, and this very lack of falsifiability is what has allowed the subject to survive and flourish. Not Even Wrong explains why the mathematical conditions for progress in physics are entirely absent from superstring theory today and shows that judgments about scientific statements, which should be based on the logical consistency of argument and experimental evidence, are instead based on the eminence of those claiming to know the truth. In the face of many books from enthusiasts for string theory, this book presents the other side of the story.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Science Physics Particle & High-Energy Physics Science in General Popular Science Mathematics Number Theory

Preface	p. ix
Particle Physics at the Turn of the Millennium	p. 1
The Instruments of Production	p. 5
Quantum Theory	p. 29
Quantum Field Theory	p. 49
Gauge Symmetry and Gauge Theories	p. 59
The Standard Model	p. 67
Triumph of the Standard Model	p. 85
Problems of the Standard Model	p. 91
Beyond the Standard Model	p. 95
New Insights in Quantum Field Theory and Mathematics	p. 105
String Theory: History	p. 139
String Theory and Supersymmetry: An Evaluation	p. 161
On Beauty and Difficulty	p. 193
Is Superstring Theory Science?	p. 203
The Bogdanov Affair	p. 213
The Only Game in Town: The Power and the Glory of String Theory	p. 221
The Landscape of String Theory	p. 237
Other Points of View	p. 247
Conclusion	p. 255
Acknowledgments	p. 265
Notes	p. 269
Index	p. 279
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Not Even Wrong

The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law for Unity in Physical Law

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Paperback

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