When does physics depart the realm of testable hypothesis and
come to resemble theology? Peter Woit argues that string theory
isn''t just going in the wrong direction, it''s not even science. Not
Even Wrong shows that what many physicists call superstring
"theory" is not a theory at all. It makes no predictions, not even
wrong ones, and this very lack of falsifiability is what has
allowed the subject to survive and flourish. Peter Woit explains
why the mathematical conditions for progress in physics are
entirely absent from superstring theory today, offering the other
side of the story.
關於作者:
Peter Woit is a lecturer in the mathematics department of
Columbia University, where in recent years he has taught graduate
courses in quantum field theory, representation theory, and
differential geometry. His math and physics blog, Not Even Wrong,
has been featured in Discover, Seed, and New Scientist. He lives in
New York.
目錄:
Preface
Particle Physics at the Turn of the Millennium
The Instruments of Production
Quantum Theory
Quantum Field Theory
Gauge Symmetry and Gauge Theories
The Standard Model
Triumph of the Standard Model
Problems of the Standard Model
Beyond the Standard Model
New Insights in Quantum Field Theory and Mathematics
String Theory: History
String Theory and Supersymmetry: An Evaluation
On Beauty and Difficulty
Is Superstring Theory Science?
The Bogdanov Affair
The Only Game in Town: The Power and the
Glory of String Theory
The Landscape of String Theory
Other Points of View
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index