- #1
Kea
- 859
- 0
These days the forum and blog spheres are full of harsh criticisms directed at String theory. Indeed, I have been guilty of this behaviour myself. Many of these outbursts have been delivered by people that know absolutely nothing about current thinking in String theory, but are perhaps miffed by the prevailing String attitude that no one else knows anything.
I have thought about this issue, tried to see things from the String theory point of view, and have come to an interesting (at least IMHO) decision. It is now clear to me that from a String perspective everything in the Third Road, or in any viable model, should be engulfed by the big String blanket. When String theorists tell me that I'm actually doing String theory, they really mean it. And their reasons for thinking this aren't unreasonable, because the terrifying devil in the details is glaring at us all with blazing eyes, talking gerbes one minute and spin foam models the next. Just look at what John Baez and Urs Schreiber are doing.
So the decision is this: from this day forward I shall endeavour to consider myself a String theorist. I'm quite serious. Fear not that the revolution is being abandonned. I am simply joining those who feel that it is time to move it inside the city walls.
The cynical reader might conclude that I am simply considering my future job prospects! To you, I point out that (a) keas don't play those sort of sports, (b) I live in a String free part of the world anyway and (c) anyone who knows me knows that my creativity in the pastime of destruction of job prospects is Olympian.
This decision hereby gives me the right to think anyone else is an idiot.
Kea
I have thought about this issue, tried to see things from the String theory point of view, and have come to an interesting (at least IMHO) decision. It is now clear to me that from a String perspective everything in the Third Road, or in any viable model, should be engulfed by the big String blanket. When String theorists tell me that I'm actually doing String theory, they really mean it. And their reasons for thinking this aren't unreasonable, because the terrifying devil in the details is glaring at us all with blazing eyes, talking gerbes one minute and spin foam models the next. Just look at what John Baez and Urs Schreiber are doing.
So the decision is this: from this day forward I shall endeavour to consider myself a String theorist. I'm quite serious. Fear not that the revolution is being abandonned. I am simply joining those who feel that it is time to move it inside the city walls.
The cynical reader might conclude that I am simply considering my future job prospects! To you, I point out that (a) keas don't play those sort of sports, (b) I live in a String free part of the world anyway and (c) anyone who knows me knows that my creativity in the pastime of destruction of job prospects is Olympian.
This decision hereby gives me the right to think anyone else is an idiot.
Kea