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A review by justinm
The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science and What Comes Next by Lee Smolin
4.0
The Trouble With Physics by Lee Smolin
4 stars
String theory has long been the most exciting field in not just physics but all of science. It has a certain elegance to it in the way that it could potentially explain how our universe (and indeed maybe multiverses) works. Over the past 30 or so years it has been the dominant field of study for theoretical physicists. By dominant I mean that if you're not serious about studying it then your career in theoretical physics is in peril. Lee Smolin argues that this is an issue in physics we have to overcome if we want another revolutionary period of science that may finally answer those pesky questions that have plagued us for many years. Smolin starts by outlining the five major problems that need to be solved in theoretical physics. He then goes on about past unifications in science. Then he talks about efforts in the past 25 years that haven't been as fruitful as those in years before, most notably the absence of major breakthroughs in string theory. He then outlines why string theory being as dominant as it is is a problem and what should be done in universities to solve it.
When I first heard of this book I was at first skeptical if it would be reliable. When I started reading it and realised it was written by a theoretical physicist that immediately gave it more credit. It helped that while Smolin is highly critical of the current state of string theory and science in general, he is extremely balanced and often brings up counter arguments for his own points. This is important because, as Smolin states, we are at a stage where there is a rift between string theorists and those who prefer alternative approaches. Friendships can be broken, grants and jobs at universities denied. Smolin also explains the scientific parts of the book really well so that it is easier for laypeople to understand the theories. Even so, some of the science went over my head. This book was published in 2006 so it is beginning to become a little out of date, but that detracts little from its message. A couple of examples are that Smolin talks of upcoming experiments and projects such as GLAST (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope), LHC (Large Hadron Collider) and the Auger observatory. However, I'm not an expert when it comes to theoretical physics, nor have I been keeping up with the news as much as I should have been, so I am not about advances that have been made since the publication of this book. I do know that scientists may soon (maybe in 2012) know definitively if they have observed the Higgs boson in collisions in the LHC. Whatever happens there is still much to be discovered and if we want to progress in the best way possible we have to be open to diverse views and be more willing to take risks in the academic world. This is a truly valuable message and as possibly a future phyicist myself (I have little idea what I'm going to do with my future!) I will endeavour to uphold and hope that it will be embraced by others.
4 stars
String theory has long been the most exciting field in not just physics but all of science. It has a certain elegance to it in the way that it could potentially explain how our universe (and indeed maybe multiverses) works. Over the past 30 or so years it has been the dominant field of study for theoretical physicists. By dominant I mean that if you're not serious about studying it then your career in theoretical physics is in peril. Lee Smolin argues that this is an issue in physics we have to overcome if we want another revolutionary period of science that may finally answer those pesky questions that have plagued us for many years. Smolin starts by outlining the five major problems that need to be solved in theoretical physics. He then goes on about past unifications in science. Then he talks about efforts in the past 25 years that haven't been as fruitful as those in years before, most notably the absence of major breakthroughs in string theory. He then outlines why string theory being as dominant as it is is a problem and what should be done in universities to solve it.
When I first heard of this book I was at first skeptical if it would be reliable. When I started reading it and realised it was written by a theoretical physicist that immediately gave it more credit. It helped that while Smolin is highly critical of the current state of string theory and science in general, he is extremely balanced and often brings up counter arguments for his own points. This is important because, as Smolin states, we are at a stage where there is a rift between string theorists and those who prefer alternative approaches. Friendships can be broken, grants and jobs at universities denied. Smolin also explains the scientific parts of the book really well so that it is easier for laypeople to understand the theories. Even so, some of the science went over my head. This book was published in 2006 so it is beginning to become a little out of date, but that detracts little from its message. A couple of examples are that Smolin talks of upcoming experiments and projects such as GLAST (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope), LHC (Large Hadron Collider) and the Auger observatory. However, I'm not an expert when it comes to theoretical physics, nor have I been keeping up with the news as much as I should have been, so I am not about advances that have been made since the publication of this book. I do know that scientists may soon (maybe in 2012) know definitively if they have observed the Higgs boson in collisions in the LHC. Whatever happens there is still much to be discovered and if we want to progress in the best way possible we have to be open to diverse views and be more willing to take risks in the academic world. This is a truly valuable message and as possibly a future phyicist myself (I have little idea what I'm going to do with my future!) I will endeavour to uphold and hope that it will be embraced by others.