Jim Baggott
Pegasus Books (1 Aug 2013)
Not sure how I missed “Farewell to Reality” when it came out. Indeed, I didn’t choose Federal Reserve annotation of Jim Baggott’s writing until I was asked to review 1 of his to a greater extent than recent books for Physics World. And having enjoyed that, I had a hold off at his previous books.
“Farewell to Reality,” which appeared inwards 2013, is a critical choose on supersymmetry, string theory, multiverses, many worlds, together with related ideas. Baggott collectively refers to them every bit “fairy tale science.”
His mass is a well-researched together with methodological approach to these speculative theories. Baggott offset establishes a basis, spelling out what he volition choose the run of scientific explanation to be. Then he goes through the background noesis (general relativity, quantum mechanics, criterion model). Having done that, he evaluates whether the “fairy tales” are worth existence taken seriously, terminal (unsurprisingly given the book’s title) that, no, they’re not.
The mass suffers somewhat from its rather heavy, philosophical opening chapter, followed past times the inevitable only necessary terminology, only the afterwards chapters alternative upwards inwards pace. It takes or together with so enthusiasm to larn through the book’s offset part. But this deadening get has the produce goodness of making the mass fairly self-contained; I believe y'all don’t demand to choose to a greater extent than than high-school physics to brand feel of Baggott’s explanations.
I largely deal alongside Baggott’s assessment, though I am less critical of enquiry on the foundations of quantum mechanics together with I could quibble alongside his choose on dark hole evaporation, only it seems somewhat also the point. I percentage Baggott’s worry that presenting unfounded speculations, similar that nosotros alive inwards a multiverse, every bit newsworthy enquiry undermines populace trust inwards science. Baggott writes:
“[T]he continued publication of pop scientific discipline books together with the production of telly documentaries that are perceived to portray superstring theory or M-theory every bit ‘accepted’ explanations of empirical reality (legitimate parts of the authorized version of reality) is misleading at best together with at worst ethically questionable.”
together with
“I believe that harm is existence done to the integrity of the scientific enterprise. The harm isn’t ever clearly visible together with is surely non ever obvious. Fairy-tale physics is similar a tardily creeping all the same inexorable dry out rot. If nosotros don’t hold off for it, nosotros won’t uncovering that the foundations are existence undermined until the whole construction comes downward on our heads.”
which I retrieve is exclusively correct.
Baggott is a gifted scientific discipline author whose explanations seem every bit effortless every bit I’m sure they’re not. He knows his materials together with isn’t afraid of clear words. And having noted this, it is non irrelevant to nurture that Baggott is no longer working inwards academia; he has no argue to sell fairy tales every bit science. And he doesn’t. He’s a author y'all tin trust.
While I am sad I missed Baggott’s mass when it appeared, I am glad I didn’t read it earlier writing my ain book. It’s somewhat depressing to hold off at “Farewell to Reality” years after it was published together with come across that goose egg has changed.
I would recommend “Farewell to Reality” to anyone who is looking for a sober assessment of what to brand of all the interesting only speculative ideas that theoretical physicists create got cooked upwards inwards the past times decades.
I also recommend of course of didactics that y'all purchase my book. It covers or together with so to a greater extent than topics that Baggott doesn’t discuss, such every bit models for inflation, nighttime matter, diverse approaches to quantum gravity, together with what the absence of supersymmetric particles at the LHC means.
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