The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next

Science News,  Oct 7, 2006  

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THE TROUBLE WITH PHYSICS: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next

LEE SMOLIN

In their quest to understand nature at its deepest level, many scientists have been led astray, according to Smolin. The seductive quest to unify quantum theory and general relativity has led to a flurry of work for the past 25 years on an idea known as string theory. Proponents claim that it unifies all particles and all forces of nature. The problem with this, Smolin explains, is that string theory is not really a theory in the scientific sense of the word; it is unsupported by experiment, unfalsifiable, and unconfirmable. In this detailed explanation of a controversial subject, Smolin, a physicist and founder of the Perimeter Institute, explains how string theory rose to such eminence despite its major flaws, in doing so, he reviews the greatest challenge facing theoretical physics today: the search for a unified-field theory. He outlines the history of string theory, reviewing how it evolved from an idea supported by only a handful of physicists to a theory that revolutionized the physics world. Smolin offers a list of alternative theories beyond string theory and suggestions for avoiding the "groupthink" that he says has hijacked theoretical physics. Houghton Mifflin, 2006, 392 p., hardcover, $26.00.

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