Hello Sean,
I was hoping for a bit of a dialogue, but too, the lack of dialogue will be useful to historians of science in understanding and characetrizing why our era has seen no progress in theoretical physics, despite unprecedented funding and resources.
Never before have so many been paid so much to advance physics so little. Indeed, future historians will see that overfunding tends to lead to sociological constructs that exalt consesus building rooted not in logic, reason, and physics--not in foundational questions; but in fashion and politics which obscure the foundational spirits, papers, and questions.
So it is that the Anthropic Principle and tiny, little vibrating strings are exalted over *physical* contemplations and questions, *physical* principles, and *physical* models such as MDT: the fourth dimension is expanidng relative to three spatial dimensions, or dx4/dt=ic. For the first time in the history of relativity, change is woven into the fundamental fabric of spacetime; and a deeper physical invariant is shown to underly relativity and quatum entanglement and nonlocality, in addition to time and all its arrows and assymetries, and entropy, as well as Huygens' and Heisenbergs' principles.
In many ways Galileo had it easy, because at least the Inquisition in his day wasn't posing as physicists interested in science.
And Max Planck had it easy too, as he noted, "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."
But in Plancks' time, the opponents were generally a generation of successful scientists who had risen to the pinnacles of their profession via science--not by politics. So today's non-opponents of MDT are anti-theorists bolstered by state-funded crackpot indexes and anthropic principle politics--"we have tenure/funding because we are smarter than you because if we weren't smarter than you, we wouldn't have tenure/funding. Ergo we are smarter than you," is what they announce at their lavish conferences, reformulating the anthropic principle to fit the latest "flavor of the week" of their unchanging anti-theory regimes, which have frozen physics in a block universe.
Max Born wrote, "All great discoveries in experimental physics have been made due to the intuition of men who made free use of models which for them were not products of the imagination but representations of real things."
And yet, today, the quantum gravity regimes have rejected simple physical models along with the belief that the math ought represent *real* things. And now, they are even willing to forget time, space, reason, words, dialogue, physics, and physicists--to keep their perpetual motion funding apparati moving--even as time remains frozen. And thus, despite hundreds of millions in funding, there is no quantum gravity. There is no graviton, nor any consistent theory of quantum gravity. Instead, there are literally an infinite number of string theories, and a fair amount of loop-quantum theories, none of which quantize gravity in any finite, consistent way; let alone in any way that makes predictions that can be tested. There is no proof whatsover for tiny, vibrating strings, nor atoms of space and time, nor twistors, nor tiny little loops, nor multiverses, nor hyperspace, nor parallel universes, nor bouncing universes--all of which grace the cover of Scientific American as sycophant students are trained to call true physicists seeking *physical* models and *physical* truths crackpots. And the Greats themselves--Nobel Laureates--both living and dead, have spoken out against such pseudo-science and snarky mathematical handwaving, which has become a religion that has replaced physics, thusly bringing progress to a halt.
"Books on physics are full of complicated mathematical formulae. But thought and ideas, not formulae, are the beginning of every physical theory." --Einstein/Infeld, The Evolution of Physics
Instead of classical, rugged physics on the higher plain of physical reality, we get communal, political efforts which end up opposing progress in physics, as they oppose the individual heroic spirit by which all higher physical truths are ultimately apprehended.
Science is more of an art than a science, and it always seems to advance in manners never before anticipated by the establishment, as Planck stated. One cannot legislate, nor vote on, nor dictate the advancement of science by fiat. Do not take my word for it.
"One cannot pray a lie," as Mark Twain once said.
"New scientific ideas never spring from a communal body, however organized, but rather from the head of an individually inspired researcher who struggles with his problems in lonely thought and unites all his thought on one single point which is his whole world for the moment." --Max Planck
And again we see the primacy of the honest individual in the classic, epic hero's journey!
"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." --Joseph Campbell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth
And the Nobel Laureate eocnomist F.A. Hayek agrees!
"The tragedy of collectivist thought is that, while it starts out to make reason supreme, it ends by destroying reason because it misconceives the process on which the growth of reason depends. It may indeed be said that it is the paradox of all collectivist doctrine and its demands for "conscious" control or "conscious" planning that they necessarily lead to the demand that the mind of some individual should rule supreme--while only the individualist approach to social phenomena makes us recognize the superindividual forces which guide the growth of reason. Individualism is thus an attitude of humility before this social process and of tolerance to other opinions and is the exact opposite of that intellectual hubris which is at the root of the demand for comprehensive direction of social purpose." -F.A. Hayek, The End of Truth, The Road to Serfdom
Along comes a scientist who agrees with the philosophy of Einstein and Max Born and Planck. Along comes a physicist who agrees with Wheeler, and Feynman, and Glasgow, and Godel, and Bohr, and Gamow--wishing that he could watch old Westerns with Bohr and Gamow. Along comes a scientist who agrees with Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin and Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek, with Newton and Dirac, with Heisenberg and Minkowski, with the great mythologist Joseph Campbell. Along comes a scientist with simple theory that has a simple postulate and equation from which all of relativity may be derived; from which entropy naturally arises, and which accounts for time and all its arrows and assymetries across all realms, while also providing a *physical* model for entanglement and nonlocality, as well as a *physical* model for Huygens' principle and the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle. Not only does the multi-billion-dollar physics establishment ignore it, but they have so much funding, that they can hire grad students and profesors to snark the theory, so as to defend their perptual-motion NSF money machines and religions of wormholes, time warps, quantum gravity, multiverses, tiny, vibrating strings, and geometric mysticism/PR/hype, which Moving Dimensions Theory has no need for, as it concerns itself with physics and physical reality--with logic, reason, and simple postulates and equations that represent a hitherto unsung universal invariant--the fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at c.
What we have here is a modern-day Inquistion, except that it is even more dangerous, as at least Galileo's Inquistion weren't claiming sience's throne.
Check out:
http://www.jklarsen.com/myblog/index.php?blog=6&title=confession_of_galileo_galilei&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
Where it is reported: "In 1633, physicist Galileo Galilei was brought before the Roman Inquisition. Tried on "vehement suspicion of heresy," Galileo was forced to swear that he "abjured, cursed and detested" the errors of his work, which extended the findings of the Polish astronomer Nicholaus Copernicus that the Earth Moves."
Now I have postulated that the fourth dimension expands relative to the three spatial dimensions, and not one person in the entire quantum gravity regime has ever, ever, taken the time to comment on my theory. It's not like MDT is a secret, so their silence puzzles the will.
It would be one thing if quantum gravity/string theory were smashing successes--then, naturally, Rovelli/Carol et al. would all be busy partying like rock stars and flying to conferences and awards ceremonies in Aspen and Hawaii. But with the utter failure of the anti-theory regimes, for decade after decade, surely they ought have a few moments to assess the great and natural success of the brand new directions proposed by MDT.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." --Albert Einstein
But I realize, that with tenure and titles to worry about in thier aging anti-tehory regimes; perhaps before commenting on MDT, they are all waiting for a confession, so as to make the theory "safe" for discussion in polite circles. I even thought of emailing Ed Witten and asking him to come out with a press release in which he states that the M in M-Theory stands for Moving Dimensions.
Well, here is my confession, based on Galileo's, which can be enjoyed here:
http://www.jklarsen.com/myblog/index.php?blog=6&title=confession_of_galileo_galilei&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
I, Dr. E, son of the late Vincenzio Galilei of Florence, aged 70 years, tried personally by this court, and kneeling before You, the most Eminent Antitheorists and Reverend Lord Cardinals of M-Theory Multiverses, Inquisitors-General throughout the Quantum Gravity Republic against heretical depravity, having before my eyes the Most Holy Gospels of an Elegant Universe, Not Even Wrong, and The Trouble With Physics, and laying on them my own hands; I swear that I have always believed, I believe now, and with Ed Witten's help I will in future believe all which the Holy Quantum Gravity and M-Theory Church doth hold, preach, teach, and hype to the press, including E-8 and next year's E-9 anti-theory.
But since I, after having been admonished by this Holy Office entirely to abandon the false opinion that the fourth dimension expands relative to the three spatial dimensions, and that quantum mechanics' entanglement, nonlocality, entropy, relativity itself, time and all its arrows and assymetries across all realms, the gravitational slowing of clocks and time, Huygens' Principle, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, probability, and all the dualities (space-time, wave-particle, mass-energy) derive from this simple principle of MDT and its equation dx4/dt=ic, and that I was neither to hold, defend, nor teach in any manner whatever, either orally or in writing, the said false doctrine; and after having received a notification that the said doctrine is contrary to the Holy Writ of Hyperspace, I did write and cause to be printed a blog and forum in which I treat of the said already condemned MDT doctrine, and bring forward arguments of much efficacy in its favour, without arriving at any solution: I have been judged vehemently suspected of heresy, that is, of having held and believed that the fourth dimension's expansion is the universe's fundamental invariant and teh cause of all time and motion, and that the block universe does not exist and time is not the fourth dimension, but that time is a parameter that emerges because the fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at c, that change is and ought be woven into the fundamental fabric of spacetime with dx4/dt=ic, and that the fourth dimension, like the earth, does move.
Nevertheless, wishing to remove from the minds of your Tenured Eminences and all faithful LQGers and String Theorists this vehement suspicion reasonably conceived against me, I abjure with sincere heart and unfeigned faith, I curse and detest the said errors and heresies, and generally all and every error and sect contrary to the Holy Quantum Gravity Regimes, and I am ready to foregt time, forget space, and forget physical reality, while embracing multiverses and tiny, vibrating stirngs. And I swear that for the future I will neither say nor assert in speaking or writing such things as may bring upon me similar suspicion; and if I know any heretic who speaks out against tiny, vibrating branes, anti-theories, or atoms of space and time, or one suspected of heresy, I will denounce him to this Holy Office of Time Travel, or to the Inquisitor of Wormholes and Ordinary of the place in which I may be, which will of course be in the block universe, which MDT falsely liberated us from, while falsely grangting us free will and free thought, as it falsely unfroze time. I hereby remit all future free will, as I return to the block universe with the hopes of receiving the funding that is a part of my pre-Ordained future, as a member of the Quantum Gravity Church in this mulitverse--this subset of the landscape--that the Gods of the Anthropic Principle granted us, while declaring that we should receive infinite funding for our fortitude in service to teh Lords of the Landscape.
I also swear and promise to adopt and observe entirely all the penances which have been or may be by this Holy Office of Loops imposed on me. And if I contravene any of these said promises, protests, or oaths, (which Ed Witten forbid!) I submit myself to all the pains and penalties which by the Sacred Canons of String Theory and other Decrees of D-branes general and particular are against such offenders imposed and promulgated. So help me God and the Holy Warped Passages/The Trouble With Physics/10^99 indecipherable arxiv.org papers--which I touch with my own hands.
I, Dr. E, aforesaid have abjured, sworn, and promised, and hold myself bound as above; and in token of the truth, with my own hand have subscribed the present schedule of my abjuration, and have recited it word by word. In America, at the Convent della M-Theory, this 8th day of December, 2008, in this parallel universe.
I, Dr. E, have abjured as above, with my own hand."
And as I'm walking away to serve out my house arrest and exile form the academy after this confession, I turn to the crowd that had gathered to hear me read it and smile.
And I say, "And yet it--the fourth dimension--moves! Eppur si muove!"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_pur_si_muove
Best,
Dr. E (The Real McCoy)
