The next ideology: "many" Higgs bosons

Particle researchers are worried. The standard model is too successful. It describes all experiments. Without exception. Could it be that there is nothing left to be discovered? "That is impossible!" they say. So they invent the possibility of "many" Higgs bosons. The options "many" electrons, "many" neutrinos, "many" quarks, or "many" vector bosons have already been settled. There are not "many" of any of these: we know them all.

So the poor researchers are left with the option of "many" Higgs bosons. Why should there by "many" of them, or even more than one? There is no reason; but particle physicists need the money to search for them. They are experienced. They got money to search for many things that do not exist: supersymmetry, strings, other universes, other dimensions. They know from experience that they will get money to search for "more" Higgs bosons.

If the standard model would be the end of particle physics, and if researchers would admit it, the money flow would cease. So they must invent new questions. Even if they make no sense. Such as the question about "many" Higgs bosons. It is just a fairy tale invented to get more money. We will hear many more such fairy tales in the coming years.

The double bind of Peter Woit

In his recent comment on his blog (answering a post by Haim) Woit explains that it IS important to find the fabric of space-time. He even encourages others to do so.

But when I posted a comment on exactly this option on his blog, he deleted it. No joke! Woit wants people to search for the fabric of space-time, but he does not want people to tell that they found it. Why not? Because he thinks that any person who claims to have found the fabric is not serious.

Psychologist call this type of encouragement, "do and don't", a double bind. It makes all those involved go nuts. Do we need to conclude that Woit has gone nuts? In any case, he really wants us to make fun of him.