What comes after finding a theory of everything?

[parshyaa]

What if the mystery of unified theory is solved (i.e we found a TOE)? What would be the next mystery in physics(will their be any or will the context of physics would be completed(i don't think so,what do you think?).

 

[jedishrfu]

There will always be a mystery. Using the history of science as our guide, as we understand new things, they raise new questions. There is no end to infinity. The going just gets tougher and tougher.

If we had a TOE then we would continue to investigate and debate phenomena found trying to decide what it is or how it really works. One simple video I saw by Veritaseum regarding magnetism illustrates the problem and opens your mind to new viewpoints:

 

[fanieh]

What if the mystery of unified theory is solved (i.e we found a TOE)? What would be the next mystery in physics(will their be any or will the context of physics would be completed(i don't think so,what do you think?).

According to Steven Weinberg, we may have the Unified Theory in 2050 (in one of the magazine articles I forgot which). I don't know if Unified Theory means just the unification of gravity and QFT. After that.. we will need to solve the final frontier.. which is the science of qualia (or the hard problem of consciousness.. just google about it.. it's against rule to discuss about it here in more details).. Penrose said it was beyond beyond anything we have or know now.. so give or take maybe year 2100 or 2400 A.D. is when we will start to take it up seriously when perhaps we tried to create Androids that won't have qualia. When we finally solve the physics of qualia.. we may be able to treat qualia disorders such criminality, psychological diseases etc.

Let's just hope that nuclear weapons won't finish us first before the year 2100 or 2400 A.D. when humanity will be lifted to heights never attained in human history when we understood the science of qualia and know it is as fundamental as higgs which can't be broken down into simpler. Also there is a possibility we may not attain any Unified Theory or Final Theory without taking into account qualia so it's just best optimism we would have the Unified Theory by 2050 as Weinberg suggested.

 

[sophiecentaur]

I think we should realize that a "Theory of Everything" is a misnomer. The best one can hope for is a theory that can be used to 'explain' phenomena that are already known about. Such names are little more than marketing jargon - like the ones that are used for bigger and bigger astronomical telescopes and for the radio frequency bands. (Top Band, High Frequency, Very High Frequency, Ultra High Frequency, Super High Frequency . . . . .)
It is a very human trait to look for a general rule - there, I did it myself. Finding it is another thing.

 

[phinds]

What if the mystery of unified theory is solved (i.e we found a TOE)? What would be the next mystery in physics(will their be any or will the context of physics would be completed(i don't think so,what do you think?).

I fail to see, for example, how a theory that unites quantum mechanics and gravity would solve the mysteries of (1) why most galaxies have super-massive black holes at their center?, and (2) how do super-massive black holes form in the first place? I'm sure there are others.

 

[gianeshwar]

Into many mysteries the "time"variable seems to have a special role.Time goes into brain as a factor when there is the stringing together of words for communication among homosapiens.As resent developments in the scientific study of neurobiology to study conscious brain indicate .So a grander unification may be involving nature as a unified whole.