Supersymmetry, epicycles and Santa Claus

1. Experiments show that there is no supersymmetry in nature. For most humans, this argument is sufficient. For the rest, here are a few more arguments.

2. The standard model has around 20 unexplained parameters. Supersymmetry introduces another 100 or so, even less unexplained ones, to "explain" the twenty. This means: supersymmetry has zero explanatory power. Nobody would believe that intelligent people reason like this. Supersymmetry is the epicycle theory of modern physics. No, epicycles needed fewer additional parameters, and epicycles actually described nature! Supersymmetry is worse than epicycles.

3. Supersymmetry only solves non-existing problems. Supersymmetry claims to be the only way to add symmetries in nature, but because of breaking, it really doesn't add any symmetry - it adds them only at energies where they cannot be checked. Supersymmetry claims to explain dark matter, but dark matter is not known with certainty to differ from ordinary matter.  Supersymmetry claims to solve the hierarchy problem, but it is unclear whether there is such a problem. Supersymmetry claims to stabilize the Higgs mass, but it is unclear whether there is a Higgs at all. Supersymmetry claims to unify couplings - but this happens in an energy region were they cannot be measured. Supersymmetry claims to solve difficulties of string theory - but string theory has no evidence in its favor. And there are even more pseudosolutions to pseudoproblems. Supersymmetry is like Santa Claus: the more you look for it, the less you find him.

4. Imagine that the Higgs is not found. What will happen? Prediction: It will take only a few weeks and some researcher will say: nature has chosen a different path, so supersymmetry is still a candidate. Even David Gross, who has won 1/3 of a Nobel Prize for his work in particle physics, has said publicly many times that even if the LHC does not find supersymmetry, that is not an argument against it. (Children say the same about Santa Claus.)

5. Bloggers who propagate supersymmetry tend to be violent and lie. If supersymmetry were correct, they would just say: "wait and see for yourself". But their violence and lies mean that you must believe in supersymmetry, like you must believe in communism or in any other totalitarian nonsense.

Is supersymmetry nonsense combined with totalitarian behavior, or is it simply a mainly male, Santa-Claus-like delusion that needs professional treatment? The researchers on supersymmetry will tell us themselves, in the course of the year 2012.