# Stephen Hawking Grand Unified Theory

1. Mar 18, 2004

### Omni

Stephen Hawking states three possabilities of a Grand Unified Theory:

1.There really is a complete unified theory, which we will someday discover if we are smart enough.

2. There is no ultimate theory of the universe, just an infinite sequence of theories that describe the universe more and more accurately.

3. There is no theory of the universe; events cannot be predicted beyond a certain extent but occur in a random and arbitrary manner.

This was written some time back and my questions are:

1. Are we any closer to discovering a GUT? or
2. Has it been discounted as bah humbug?
3. Are there more possabilities other than the three quoted?

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2004
2. Mar 18, 2004

### selfAdjoint

Staff Emeritus
It has recently been shown that there are a huge number. like a google = $$10^{100}$$ of inequivalent stringy theories, and we don't know if one is right, if we could find it, or some asre right if we could develop a criterion for choosing them, or all are right. So things have gotten even weirder than Hawking foresaw.

3. Mar 29, 2004

### Phobos

Staff Emeritus
FWIW, the GUT research currently in-the-works is trying to unify 3 of the 4 fundamental forces (electromagnetic, strong, weak). A true unified theory would need to include the 4th (gravity). String theory could be a good lead...but there's a long way to go on supporting it.

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