6 February 2018

Satire or Reality? Unification vs Experimental Data - On Funding and IQ

I read Schiller's slides about his strand model again. I got the latest version from http://www.motionmountain.net/Schiller-Strand-Colour-Talk.pdf His simple model retrodicts general relativity, quantum theory, the spectrum of elementary particles and the gauge groups. And it proposes ways to calculate the standard model parameters.

The ideas could be true. After all, they agree with experimental data so far.

The ideas cannot be true. After all, why should a single researcher with little funding deduce more results that thousands of heavily funded string and quantum gravity researchers?

A non-funded model cannot be true. Why should there be interest for a unified model that agrees with data? Why should there be interest for a unified model that deduces everything known? Researchers are proud of their funding. There will be no interest for the model in the coming years. Because theoretical research is not a battle for right or wrong; it is a battle for funds. A new entrant that reduces other people's funding is not interesting. Interest will only appear once funds are available.

The ideas cannot be true. They are much too simple. They do not require a high IQ.

The ideas could be true. They agree with data.

A simple model cannot be true. Why should there be interest for a simple model that agrees with data? We all know that unification must be hard, really hard to understand. Researchers in theory are proud of their IQ. Because theoretical research is not a battle for right or wrong; it is a battle to show off your IQ. Showing off your IQ is more important than agreement with data.

All this real world satire.  My opinion? I like the model; it is cute. But it is not finished.  Time will tell.