Steve Agnew suggests that physicist Frank Close's new book would be a good topic of discussion. According to the blurb, in his book (which has yet to be released in the US, but is available in the UK), Close takes the reader to the frontiers of science in a vividly told investigation of revolutionary science and enterprise from the seventeenth century to the present. He looks at what has been meant by theories of everything, explores the scientific breakthroughs they have allowed, and shows the far-reaching effects they have had on crucial aspects of life and belief. Theories of everything, he argues, can be described as those which draw on all relevant branches of knowledge to explain everything known about the universe. Such accounts may reign supreme for centuries. Then, often as a result of the advances they themselves have enabled, a new discovery is made which the current theory cannot explain. A new theory is needed which inspiration, sometimes, supplies."

Enjoy!

Is Close critical enough in his book? He was very critical a couple of years ago:

Frank Close: "In recent years, however, many physicists have developed theories of great mathematical elegance, but which are beyond the reach of empirical falsification, even in principle. The uncomfortable question that arises is whether they can still be regarded as science. Some scientists are proposing that the definition of what is "scientific" be loosened, while others fear that to do so could open the door for pseudo-scientists or charlatans to mislead the public and claim equal space for their views."

So new theories are not falsifiable, but how about old ones? General relativity for instance? What if, by introducing fudge factors, Einsteinians can make general relativity predict anything they want? Are fudge factors a legitimate theoretical tool? Is the theory deductive if fudge factors are a legitimate theoretical tool? If the theory is not deductive, what is it? Empirical concoction? Not even wrong?

Pentcho Valev

    This book is a very good read and easy at around 100 pp or so and only $5 for the e-book. It is well worth it and the Kindle e-reader seems to work just fine on my PC. I bought it on Amazon and read it with the Kindle cloud reader and that all worked very well.

    Close asks, "Will space and time eventually emerge from some deeper theory?"

    Well...yeah...of course they will...

    Actually, I believe that the answer is out there and just buried in the hubris of the many possibilities...

    Hi Steve,

    Thanks for sharing.

    The answers indeed are still fzr of us when we consider these singularities and all these steps before.What are our knowledges in fact ? so weak in front of this infinite entropy and its irreversible increasing evolutive mass....

    The space time has still so many secrets to show us ....

    Best Regards Jedi of the Sphere....

    Close says in a section discussing the Higg's boson,

    "This may sound as if we have re-introduced the ether, a fluid once supposed to be responsible for the propagation of electromagnetic waves, but was famously eliminated by Einstein with his theory of relativity."

    Indeed...science is now openly proposing aether as the remedy that beats stringy, quantum loopy, multiversey, and supersymmetrization. It is ironic that so many prominent in science know that science is in a deep rabbit hole, but they cannot seem to find there way out of that rabbit hole...

    indeed.And if the aether is not luminiferous but gravitational and that the primordial field is not baryonic, so you imagine Steve lol ?

    In all case,it is a wonderful way of researchs where all we search after all and sometimes we found :) they turn so they are after all these quantum 3D sphères ....

    ps I liked a lot the higgs and the fact that they permit to better understand our standard model and this electromagnetism.

    But I beleive that the main chielf orcgestra is this gravitation and its codes.

    The photons are just like a fuel. But it is just my opinion of course.The quantum gravitation and the stable gravitation are foundamentals ,the photons also but they are Under the laws of this gravity in fact.

    If Newton was with us and with our actual Tools of communications, he d help us :) he d find very relevant links,general.This central biggest BH of our universe, the universal sphere for me is the secret, what is this cosmological singularity where all comes from ? Like if God played with the cold and the heat to build simply a physicality in evolution of matter by encodings, photonic and spheronic.

    Our cosmological spheres produce and our quantum singularities encode....it is a simplistic vue but this universal sphere seems working on this road.It is fascinating and the word is weak.The aether seems really gravitation from this central cosm singularity producing the gravitational aether implying that space does not exist in fact due to the serie, of spherical volumes and the primordial fractal.

    Best

    20 days later
    • [deleted]

    Dear friends,

    Refer to Steve Agnew's post on May, 11, 2017 which told that - Close says in a section discussing the Higg's boson,

    "This may sound as if we have re-introduced the ether, a fluid once supposed to be responsible for the propagation of electromagnetic waves, but was famously eliminated by Einstein with his theory of relativity."

    Actually we can easily prove that there is something like ether before Higgs field was found, by a simple scientific experiment as explain in the paper attached.

    And indeed (as Steve said) armed with the mechanism of vacuum medium we could solve most problem involved TOE.

    Sincerely,

    Nimit Th.

    attached file.

      Hello,,

      All this is relevant.

      The ether is an intuitive interpretation of Einstein connecting God with all with a kind of field primordial respecting our special relativity and our standard model and its matter baryonic.

      Eibsteinb said that God does not play at dices. The higgs are bosons and Under our standard model and our special relativity.

      The problem is that if our ether is not luminiferous but gravitational, newtonian if I can say, so we must rethink our lines of resonings about our quantum gravitation and this ether.Furthermore more the works of Prof Tegmark, we have a superimposing of gravitational aethers considering the singularities of each universes connected with all quantum singularities of its universe.

      The ether,let's name a cat a cat is a spiritual and philosophical intuitive interpretation of Einstein wanting to find the secrets of God,this infinite entropy creating a physicality in playing with the cold and the heat like the gravitation plays with the electromagnetism.

      What do you think Nimit?

      They turn so they are after all ....

      You are going to understand me :) imagine that our universe possesses a central BH the biggest and that this singularity has created a physicality with specific codes of evolution.

      Now imagine that we have a fractal from this main volume and a serie.We have so a system after of multiplication of this serie and after the motions permit the evolution.All this is very simplistic but the universe in its generality is so simple.

      Now imagine that the main primordial field is from this central cosm singularity and that this singularity produces the speedest particles of gravitation, a serie also of uniqueness possessing the cold and heat and this infinite entropy?paradoxal in all.Now let's take my equation with the two matters baryonic and not baryonic,the matter not baryonic is produced by BHs and is the dark matter in logic.

      Now here is this equation E=m(b)c²+m(nb)l² you can see easily that I have simply added the matter not baryonic the dark matter, the particles of gravitation with l a linear velocity.They are not relativistic.

      Now let's take a proportion with the spherical volulmes producing particles and the linear velocities, we have so an ether, gravitational appearing due to these particles produced by this central BH.The stars produce photons and BHs spherons in this logic, like if the linear velocities decreased their linear velocities in passing to spherical volumes to spherical volumes, that is why we have c and l.A spheron can become a photon, that said a photon cannot become a spheron due to intrinsic codes created at this cosm singularity giving the series of uniquenss.

      The luminiferous ether considers a kind of enormous star like center and a kind of infinite light above our walls.But the gravitational light seems more complex still than our light.and God is near us with this instantaneity due to l.

      We can break our special relativity with spherons, not photons.....

      Regards

      a month later

      Darwinian Universal

      The nature of the interaction between space and matter, what causes gravitational acceleration? is a question forefront in people's minds. But also the nature of the universal orders we observe, atomic and cosmological structures being very non-random and articulated. I will speak briefly to these now, but please bear in mind that I can corner these considerations with diverse justifications, if you should seek to test?.

      In simplest terms. What is the nature of the interaction between space and matter? The one we are going to consider now is arguably the simplest conceptual possibility. That Tuv (matter) is embedded in, and in the business of "metabolizing" a field of Guv (space). Guv and Tuv share equality, so it would make sense in terms of an energy transfer and conversion flowing from space to matter. So A. where does this Guv energy potential originate from? and B. what is it converted into that explains atomic process? A. Space possesses a cosmological expansive property which takes its measure as Auv cosmological redshift, which enables us to speculate that space that is metabolized by matter is a renewable resource. B. Conventional theory does not attribute a cause for the work actions of the fundamental forces, so we speculate that the energy potential derived from Auv space is converted to the mechanical actions of Gluons and Photons, and both taking their measure as magnitudes of velocity C.

      Summarizing

      Cosmological Auv represents the emergence rate of a universal energy field, which is then metabolized by matter on a local basis represented by the equation Guv = Tuv, enabling the atomic mechanical actions attributed to Gluons and Photons. So this is a really simple conceptualization, and an effective test would be to ask, do the following values possess equality, Auv = Guv = Tuv? Yes they do.

      Thats so far pretty brief and simple. I've put forward a hypothesis which relies on the extraordinary equality of various universal measures as evidence. But also provides an appealing chain of cause and effect that takes us beyond the notion of photons and Gluons being fundamental force. The theory of fundamental force being that of "force without a prior cause". The idea that Gluons and Photons are energy conserved systems, which somehow perform "work" functions as by-product, is aesthetically displeasing. It ascribes to theory of causeless work, and the actions of electron bonds being good example. Electron bonds manifest a property we can appreciate at the human scale of existence, evident as the glue that binds objects together. We can directly sense these bonds as we wrap our hands around objects and apply force against them, which hold resistant against our efforts. How can their persistent resistance to your forceful actions, be described in terms other than that of "work action"? We need to move past the notion of "causeless work actions".

      In addition to this, I will briefly mention a prospective explanation for atomic and cosmological structure, order, complexity, fine tuning. The code for which is written in photon and Gluon mechanics, a product of a long standing Co-evolution between two universal elements, Auv and Tuv. Auv being a regenerative elemental field of space, and the elemental aspect of Tuv being the Photons and Gluons that form the material universe.

      This hypothesis paints Auv as a regenerative field, and it can be speculated that anything that is continually regenerative, is capable of compounding changes, evolving, advancing its physical state. Tuv (matter) also demonstrates a capacity suggestive of re-generation, in the form of quark separations that generate identical copies of themselves. Not conceptually dissimilar to biological cellular divisions, which we understand leads to compounded changes we identify as Darwinian process. The standard theory of matter synthesis holds that photons created by a big bang event will spontaneously condense and precipitate to form atoms. This prescribes a whole lot of givens without adequate explanation. Atoms are wonderfully complex articulated machines, their properties evidenced by the universe they collectively build, including the form that makes you. The "given" that you must currently except for lack of an alternative explanation, is that "this can occur purely on basis of chance". However that is no longer the case as of the realizations presented here within, that allows for compounded changes to occur, leading to ever increased levels of complexity and fine tuning, an explanation for the world around us.

      This hypothesis brings to mind a scenario whereby the universe first emerges as a simplest possible configuration field quanta, and through continual regeneration compounded changes, evolved through ever shifting circumstances that eventuated as the universe we observe. A scenario like this might not easily come to mind, however I have begun to uncover a possible interpretation which can be judged for merit. And there is a persuasive case that can be made that the structure of the universe we observe around us, is evolved optimally for a purposeful interaction between space and matter, in terms of matter being spread out across space, optimized for atmospheric interaction.

      I opened this post with a question towards the nature of the interaction between space and matter. And I wouldn't really be doing the subject justice without prescribing cause, the motivation for gravitational acceleration. The main aspect of the puzzle of gravity, that holds us all spellbound. The before mentioned prescribes a scenario whereby natures forces are mediated via Photons and Gluons, which are enabled via a process of metabolism of the Auv elemental field of space. This being the case, it informs us where the motivation for universal force originates, and how it is mediated and subsequently expressed. The conventional take is that the strong nuclear force and gravity are two independent forces or phenomenon. But that ignores the rather obvious association between the two, that Gluons are the strong nuclear force from which mass is an emergent property, and it is the mass that responds to gravitational fields. So it is basic deduction that the (strong nuclear force) (Gluons) and (Mass) are all representative of one and the same property of matter. It is Gluonic Mass that both responds to gravitational fields and also possesses the capacity to mediate force, which is expressed as gravitational acceleration. In simplest terms, Gluons mediate the force that causes gravitational acceleration. If you want to qualify this possibility, then study the similarities that are known to exist between Gluons and Photons, and ask the question (if Photons can express motion, then could it be that Gluons can also express motion via the same general mechanism as Photons?

      These associations are made trivial within the wider context of the theory I refer to as Darwinian Universal, which theorizes that the differences between Photons and Gluons are mainly that of structural complexity, from which Gluons manifest the additional emergent properties of matter, being mass, nuclear and molecular bonds, heat process etc. Gluons that form matter are evolved Photons. My contest essay, which I should have titled Darwinian Universal, elaborates beyond what I have mentioned here.

      http://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/2890

      I would like to engage this subject with the FQXi community please? I propose that my essay discussion page would be the right place to hold such a discussion, so I invite you to join me there please? Nobody would stumble across it otherwise, so I'll sprinkle a couple of these invitations around the forum. Please keep in mind that I will only be notified of your reply, if you post at my essay page.

      Thank you kindly for your considerations

      Steve

        Here is another way I might have put it

        I'm very pleased with the reviews my essay received, and for the community score that tallied. However I havent engaged with the community in discussions about it yet, either in a sense that might test it or allow me to elaborate further. I have added a post to my essay thread titled Darwinian Universal, which presents an explanation for why the concept of fundamental forces is flawed, in terms of being considered an energy conserving system which undertakes perpetual work effort. Electron bond persistency in binding matter for example. Having framed it in terms of what conventional approach is conceptually missing, I then present a solution in terms of my concept. That the question of what the nature of the interaction is that exists between space and matter that would marry quantum mechanics and general relativity, is the same question as "what is the prior cause for the fundamental forces that enables their work effort?. I propose that photon and gluon activity is the product of the interaction with space, and this is why the terms of Guv and Tuv share equality. Its an energy transfer and conversion. So matter being in the business of consuming an elemental field of space that enables photon activity, dictating the rate of causality which we interpret as time. This is how it corresponds to the theory of spacetime.

        This raises the question, if space is a resource matter is dependent on to maintain activity, then how can the resource remain persistent over time. Why is it not finite and subject to depletion? Auv cosmological emergence of space to the rescue. I cannot present the physics that would answer the how of Auv's continual emergence, but I can point to the observation and values attributed to its emergence, and the equality they share with universal values of Guv and Tuv. That their equality is highly suggestive they share a relationship that is causal. That Auv is a renewable resource which enables photon activity, and that Auv and Tuv are both elements of a universal system that allows for compounded changes and evolved purposeful structure and complexities to emerge. That all the activities on both atomic and cosmological scales, are evolved and optimized for their reason for existence, which is for efficiency of interaction between the Auv elemental field of space, and Tuv matter.

        This theory prescribes cause, purpose and meanings to aspects of the world where there has been nothing of the sort presented before. I would like the opportunity to demonstrate to people that this concept is deserving of discussion. Are you willing to join me please and help me kick it off?

        http://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/2890

        Thank you for your consideration

        Kind regards

        Steven Andresen

        Give nature an energy potential and it will invent a Darwinian circumstance of emergence. Take early oceanic life for example, algae invented a way to exploit the suns energy in a process known as Photosynthesis, which then founded the base of a food chain that blossomed through a diversified range of organisms of increasing levels of character and complexity. Krill that eat the algae, in turn eaten by small fish, eaten by bigger fish and squid, eaten by tuna, sharks, birds, dolphins and whales.

        Auv cosmological emergence is a like circumstance of Darwinian emergence, as a result of an as yet unidentified natural energy potential. Like the algae, this Auv elemental field of space foundations the base of a system that has compounded ever higher levels of universal order and complexity, in the form of atomic and cosmological structure. This is how elaborate Gluon and photon characteristics have emerged in the universe, and the circumstance whereby their activity is enabled by a metabolism of an Auv elemental field of space.

        8 days later

        Electromagnetism is considered one of the four fundamental forces of nature.

        Another force considered as fundamental is the strong nuclear force, for which the Gluon is the mediator, which importantly is the generator of "mass", which is the property of matter which responds to gravitational fields. Or I could have said it like this "The strong nuclear force makes the "MASS" which motivates the gravitational acceleration".

        Why do people believe gravity is a forth fundamental force independent of the other three, when clearly the strong nuclear force generates the property of matter "mass" that responds to gravitational fields? Why dont they acknowledge that Gluons mediate the force that drives gravitational acceleration? Because they are not trained as detectives to follow evidentary clues.

        But your question is about connecting magnetism to gravity, and it appears I have connected Gluon activity to gravity instead. What you have to realize is that Gluons and electromagnetism (EM) are very very similar entities as one another. So to relate gravitational interaction with EM, I show you that Gluons and EM are closely related.

        How are Gluons and EM related? They are related in every way! Electromagnetism is light (photons), and a useful value we can attribute to light is its velocity C. Mass is a measure of Gluon activity, and mass is a very tidy sum multiple of the speed of light kg x C x C. Or famously E=MC2. So it can be said that Gluon activity and Photon activity are correlated via proportionate magnitude of one another. Gluons and Photons also perform very similar roles as one another, in much the same way as one another. Gluons create the bonds which hold the nucleolus together, and photons create the bonds that hold electron bonds together. The theory of charge applies to both the Gluon and the Photon in the mediation of their bond interactions. You can visualize them as operating in very much the same way as one another. I could go on all day long about the similarities between Gluons and Photons, but that should be enough to make my point of their relation.

        So anyway, the key point to take home is that Gluons operate very much the same way as light (EM) does. Light can propel itself through the voids of space, so why couldn't Gluons be responsible for a similar capability of generating motion? Gluons generate mass, and mass motivates gravitational acceleration, so this is indeed how it can be interpreted.

        Magnetism and gravity are related, because an entity which is very closely related to magnetism, that is to say "Gluons" are the driving force for gravitational acceleration. Simple! Why dont people realize this? Because they are to confused by the idea that somehow the concept of "spacetime" will inform them how, why objects are set to motion. How can time motivate motion? is a question which leads nowhere!

        I appreciate what you are saying, and judge you fairly for saying it. You have to appreciate that is only a page of explanation, and so is stated in simple terms. I can provide further justifications. But it is an interesting idea isnt it, that Gluons are much the same as light, and light has the capacity for motion. That Gluons might be the force provider that motivates gravitational accelerations?

        I could answer toward your points directly, or I could provide a more interesting explanation from which you could infer the answers you need? Which I will do, but we can always come back to individual points whenever you like.

        If you are willing, I would like to discuss the question of the origin of force? Again lets focus on Gluons and photons, which is to say, strong nuclear force and electromagnetic force, whos actions are ascribed to the theory of "Fundamental Forces". Within this context, the word fundamental might be interpreted as a theoretical "first cause". Or force with no prior cause.

        There are some basic problems with the theory of "force with no prior cause". It raises the same general criticisms we might have for the notion of perpetual energy machines. But are these same general criticisms rightly directed towards the function of atomic forces? Fundamental forces do a lot of different things, but we want to identify an action which is clearly in the business of undertaking "work action" and therefore cannot be interpreted as energy conserving. So let us focus on EM electromagnetic electron bonds which glues matter together. I select electron bonds because they manifest a property of matter which we can appreciate at the macro scale of human existence, and which we can wrap our own hands around an object, and directly sense the "work effort" these electromagnetic forces are responsible for mediating.

        The question is, how can perpetual work effort exist without prior cause? If we try to excuse this situation, as fundamental forces being energy conserved systems, then how do you extract work from such a system without affecting its internal checks and balances?

        I know it seams as though I'm leading us toward an intangible circumstance, for which the activities of matter cannot be provided a rational explanation. But I'm not. I'm leading us down a well considered path, which I hope gives reason enough to entertain the novel solution I will provide. It is a solution which prescribes a prior cause for atomic forces, while solving a number of further problems confronting scientific understanding.

        Let us consider the possibility that the following two questions have the same answer. What is the nature of the interaction between space and matter, that would marry quantum mechanics and general relativity? and what is the prior cause of atomic forces?

        Let us envision, space containing a physical element which matter is in the business of consuming, to enable matters forceful activities. Guv = Tuv is the conventional interpretation of the interaction between space and matter. If it is indeed an energy transfer and conversion to atomic force, then the equality demonstrated of each of these terms bodes well. However, a conceptual challenge to this notion, would be as follows. If space contains an elemental field that is consumed by matter, then wouldn't it be a finite resource that would eventually be depleted? And on the face of it, you might think that presents an end to this conjecture. But it doesnt.

        Space isn't only described in terms of Guv. Space also has a property which is described as cosmological expansion, and termed as Auv. For the benefit of this conjecture, I'll ask you to consider the possibility that Auv is a measurement that corresponds to a regenerative process undertaken by an elemental field inhabiting space, which continually replenishes the potential, that in turn drives atomic forces. For this hypothesis to have any prospect, there would have to be a link between the value of Auv (cosmological expansion) and Tuv (atomic forces) that demonstrate an equality. And indeed, such a measure has been known about for many years. Those interested please quiz me?

        Auv = Guv = Tuv.

        This line of conjecture provides something further. Entities which continually regenerate have the prospect of compounding changes over time and evolving. Generationally compounded change, conceivably can lead simple systems toward heightened levels of order and complexity. The character of structures that evolve in such a system, as exampled by life, can be used to infer the circumstances of their evolution, revealing motives and purpose, which in turn convey reasons and meanings. Does this conjecture lead to an interpretation of universal emergence that explains for its very particular style of order, complexity, fine tuning? It does, and I am part way through the process of uncovering an interpretation of it.

        It goes something like this. Give nature an energy potential and it will invent a circumstance of Darwinian emergence which leads to heightened levels of complexity. Whether that is Algae which evolves the ability for photosynthesis, which exploits the freely available natural energy potential of the sun, which then becomes the basis of a food chain that leads to diverse organisms of increasingly complex character. Algae eaten by krill, eaten by small fish, eaten by bigger fish and squid, eaten by tuna, sharks, dolphins and whales. Could this be how all complexities evolve in the world, including atomic and cosmological structure?

        Could Auv cosmological emergence be the result of a natural energy potential, ( as yet unidentified physical process), which has lead to a Darwinian cascade that provides circumstance, reason and purpose for the structures, complexity, fine tuning, we observe in the world around us? I am building the case so that people might be able to judge merit. Writing to you now provides me an opportunity for practice.

        9 months later

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        6 months later

        @Steve Dufourny

        Given that the speed of light is the speed of sound of the ether, the only viable way for an ether theory is to cover all fields which are guided by the speed of light. Thus, the ether has to be neither luminiferous nor gravitational, but universal, a theory of everything.

        Of course, gravity would have to be a key part of this, and it is, given that the SM itself would be compatible with the Lorentz ether in a trivial way, the non-trivial part of reviving the ether would be indeed gravity.

        Actually, there are two different approaches to the ether, Jacobson's Einstein aether and my own general Lorentz ether. The Einstein aether breaks local Lorentz invariance by introducing a local preferred frame in each point, but the whole theory is covariant and the construction does not give any notion of global absolute time. The general Lorentz ether, instead, lives in a Newtonian spacetime, follows continuity and Euler equations as usual condensed matter, but nonetheless gives the Einstein equations in harmonic coordinates in a natural limit. See my website for details and links to published papers.

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