The Crisis in String Theory Is Worse Than You Think
Lenny Susskind's interview reveals skepticism about string theory's ability to describe the universe, highlighting a consensus that stifles innovative ideas and suggesting a need for a paradigm shift in theoretical physics.
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The recent interview with physicist Lenny Susskind highlights a growing crisis in string theory, suggesting that the field may be at a dead end. Susskind expresses skepticism about the current state of string theory, stating that it fails to describe our universe and that no significant advancements have been made in extending the theory beyond supersymmetry. He acknowledges that many in the field have given up on exploring alternatives, particularly in de Sitter space, which is crucial for understanding our universe. Susskind's comments reflect a broader concern that the consensus among physicists may be stifling innovative ideas, as he admits that the community tends to dismiss unconventional theories. He also critiques the notion that consensus is always correct, recognizing that it can lead to stagnation. The interview reveals a tension between maintaining established theories and the need for new approaches in theoretical physics. Susskind's candid remarks about the limitations of string theory and the need for a shift in perspective may signal a turning point in the discourse surrounding this once-prominent framework.
- Lenny Susskind expresses doubts about the viability of string theory in describing the universe.
- There is a consensus among physicists that the field has largely abandoned efforts to extend string theory beyond its current limitations.
- Susskind acknowledges the risk of dismissing unconventional ideas due to prevailing consensus.
- The interview highlights a potential need for a paradigm shift in theoretical physics.
- Susskind's comments may indicate a growing recognition of the limitations of established theories in the field.
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9 commentsIt must however be daunting to be a theoretical physicist right now. It seems like the field has been in a standstill for years. The advances in the 20th century were just eye-watering. The Standard Model is a mixed bag of stunningly accurate prediction (eg electron monopole moment [1]) vs the wildly inaccurate (eg the so-called "vacuum catastrophe" [2]).
And there are so many unanswered questions, like nobody really seems to know what particle generations are or why they exist. Or that particle masses can't be derived from first principles (or that the math can't be solved, I'm honestly not sure).
It seems like we have no intuition for a lot of this stuff because there's no analog in the real world. So we give names to things (eg color, spin) that are just abstract properties. Electromagnetism is tantalizingly simple. The strong nuclear force interacts with its own carrier particles so is far from simple. The mediating particles of the weak nuclear force were, I believe, the first evidence of the Higgs field (because they have mass) but again, not my speciality.
But here's the interesting part (to me): the human systems surrounding it. When progress slows in a field, you'll find the tendency of people to coalesce around certain ideas that may border on dogma because careers are built on reputation and nobody wants to be "wrong". Likewise, string theory has a lot of investment in it. People have built careers on it. Nobody wants to throw that away.
The LHC gave experimental evidence to the Higgs boson, which was one of its goals. It's also managed to disprove a lot of theories, which is useful. But it hasn't given any hint of where to go. There's already talk of a successor but nobody really knows what to look for so it's hard to imagine that'll go anywhere.
So string theory seems to be like physics orthodoxy now.
j[1]: https://cfp.physics.northwestern.edu/documents/PhysicsToday-...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_constant_problem
The most optimistic view I've heard on string theory is that the Ads/CFT correspondence actually can move to de-sitter space one day. String theory proponents actually believe this. They do believe the Ads/CFT correspondence is one of the crowning achievements of string theory.
The most pessimistic view I've heard is that we're waiting for the people who have made string theory their life's work since the 1980's to retire and allow new funding efforts to go to different ideas.
Maybe planet nine if it exists will turn out to be a small primordial black hole within probe range, or we will locate a micro primordial black hole within the solar system.
Would building an even bigger deeper into time gazing JWST help?
I’ve gone down the black hole rabbit hole lately and personally I’d love to see an ultra sensitive fish eye X-ray and gamma ray telescope to hunt for the weak signatures that might be emitted by tiny accretion discs in or near our solar system. Find us a lovely marble to go examine and chuck stuff into.
So this guy works on string theory and has never heard of Einstein?
Why not use science to check what makes sense? - Because anyone would instantly notice that string theory is bs.
I think there should be a system, that when scientists act in bad faith (wasting money on questionable ideas because they personally profit) should retire.
These people convinced the world they were geniuses, but ended up fleecing funding agencies and universities for millions with zero accountability and scientific progress.
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