The Trouble With Physics
by Lee Smolin · first published 2006
38% recommend62% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An accessible case against string theory's dominance in physics, covering its history, philosophy, and the tenure and funding pressures that keep the field narrow. Suits general readers wanting a counterargument.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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There are systematic biases in the social sciences, and there are systematic biases in physics. Read Lee Smolin's The Trouble with Physics. As they are social systems, they will always be biased. And the most dangerous bias is the one that claims itself unbiased, fully objective.
on “Interview with Scott Aaronson” ↗…your stance. Curious what your thoughts are on exposing more people to theoretical physics sans popsci buzzword articles? For anyone else who's following this thread, I would recommend checking out "The Trouble with Physics" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/108939.The_Trouble_with_...
on “Speculation that wormholes and entanglement are two aspects of the same thing” ↗See also the (now decade old) book The trouble with Physics by Lee Smolin.
on “Physics is stuck” ↗…Gibson 11/22/63 - Stephen King The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss Non-fiction: Ghost in the Wires - Kevin Mitnick The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin Not Even Wrong - Peter Woit The Lean Startup - Eric Ries Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Built To Last - Jim Collins Business Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder…
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗…Singularity is Near - Kurzweil Gödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter Atlas Shrugged - Rand The Fountainhead - Rand Nineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin Time Reborn - Lee Smolin Ambient Findability - Peter Morville Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected…
on “Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?” ↗> There are systematic biases in the social sciences, and there are systematic biases in physics. Read Lee Smolin's The Trouble with Physics. As they are social systems, they will always be biased. And the most dangerous bias is the one that claims itself unbiased, fully objective. I never claimed physics was bias-free. I just said that political…
on “Interview with Scott Aaronson” ↗Many of Lee Smolin's books are phenomenal, and despite being very indepth into their subject matter, are easy and enjoyable to read. Trouble With Physics is my favorite.
on “Stephen Hawking has died” ↗Peter Woit is another theoretical physicist who says similar things. Both Smolin's book 'The Trouble with Physics' and Woit's 'Not Even Wrong' are well worth a read.
on “In the foundations of physics we haven't seen progress for the past four decades” ↗…of string theorists in top-level research institutions) focus on string theories in the current environment. It's about the fate of a discipline, not simply about "not enough funding." See his book The Trouble with Physics for a more passionate defense. I do agree that the answer to "why no Einsteins" is more complicated that Lee Smolin suggests, though I doubt any of (a)-(e) are true, except maybe (a).
on “Why Is There No New "Einstein"?” ↗"Not Even Wrong" is a good book, but a little dry. Lee Smolin's "The Trouble With Physics" is a much more enjoyable read and was much more engaging. But they both deliver a strong case against String Theory.
on “String Theory Skeptic” ↗…experimental support and lack of testable / falsifiable assertions in physics (especially String Theory) is explored at length in two pretty interesting books: Not Even Wrong[1] by Peter Woit and The Trouble With Physics[2] by Lee Smolin. [1]: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Even-Wrong-Failure-Physical/dp/046... [2]: http://www.amazon.com/The-Trouble-With-Physics-Science/dp/06...
on “Black holes might end their lives by transforming into their exact opposite” ↗If you have time, Lee Smolin's book The Trouble with Physics is a captivating read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Physics Smolin makes a sosiological-historical argument, that from the 20s to 70s, the development in theoretical particle physics…
on “Ask HN: Is physics moving forward?” ↗I thoroughly recommend reading his book "The Trouble With Physics", where he shares some (from my perspective) great insights on some of the mis-steps the Physics community has taken over the past 30-40 years. I second this motion. I'd also recommend reading the book…
on “Lee Smolin on the nature of time” ↗Strongly recommend "The Trouble With Physics" by Lee Smolin. It highlights how string theory (to use a broad brush) has choked off access to talent, tenure, and funding for competing theories.
on “The Dangerous Irrelevance of String Theory” ↗…Computer Revolution - Steven Levy Charles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert W. Bly Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe - Lee Smolin The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next - Lee Smolin The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real - William Irwin
on “Ask HN: What book should I read next?” ↗