everything blog

There have been numerous theories of everything proposed by theoretical physicists over the last century, but as yet none have been able to stand up to experimental scrutiny or there is tremendous difficulty in getting the theories to produce even experimentally testable results. The primary problem in producing a TOE is that the accepted theories of quantum mechanics and general relativity propose radically different descriptions of the universe, and straightforward ways of combining the two lead quickly to the renormalization problem in which the theory does not give finite results for experimentally testable quantities… @

Or…

I’m kind of a physics geek, as some of you know. But, I left the academic world before String Theory had come into the public attention. In the intervening years, I experienced some (let’s call them) Epiphanies of a highly spiritual order. I’m not talking about seeing Jesus on the Subway, or any such nonsense. I mean acquiring a deep-seated sense of unseen things being true. Anyway, when I first heard about String Theory, I didn’t immediately see it for what I now believe it is. Then, I thought it was just among the more “loosely proven” quantum theories I’d come across. But now, a couple more years later, I see String Theory for exactly what it is…

The tenuous grazing of Science’s long-reaching finger-nail against the Dome of the Divine. I know that horrifies some of you. But, hear me out: Without belaboring this thread with a lengthy description of String Theory, it is, essentially, the “Biggest Quantum Theory Ever” AND the only theory to ever RECONCILE all the previously irreconcilable sub-theories to each other. String Theory also turned out to be what I first thought it was: “The Most Loosely-Proven Quantum Theory” I have ever seen. String Theory contains some of the most speculative, inferential science that has ever achieved popular recognition. It is, I believe, sufficiently different from any quantum theory before it to qualify for re-categorization as MetaPhysics (and see definition #3 below). String Theory, I’m asserting, is the first Theory Regarding the Origin and Opreration of the Universe to come out of science that requires more faith than science to appreciate. These days it seems all I talk about are things coming together — usually with good results. I guess I’m just looking for where the lines are getting blurry. But, it seems to me, we are at a crossroads now where Science and Religion can begin to exchange some each other’s strengths — in the pursuit of even higher ambitions of understanding than either has ever sought before. Thoughts?

met·a·phys·ics ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mt-fzks) n.

1. (used with a sing. verb) Philosophy. The branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, fact and value.
2. (used with a pl. verb) The theoretical or first principles of a particular discipline: the metaphysics of law.
3. (used with a sing. verb) A priori speculation upon questions that are unanswerable to scientific observation, analysis, or experiment.
4. (used with a sing. verb) Excessively subtle or recondite reasoning.

Response originally Posted by Buddy: “Another thought that just struck me is that religion is based on faith. At least most are. You don’t need to have faith in science, you can test it yourself.”

Sure, religion is built on faith because it contains, as a basic, defining premise, that TRUTH will be sought not with empirical, replicable experimentation, but via a consultation with (whether the Self of Buddhism, the Oracle at Delphi, the Natural God of Thoreau and Emerson, or the preachings of Billy Graham) the PERFECT ABSTRACT. I define “Perfect Abstract” as either the conjury of the individual imgination or the collectively-sustained conjury of (religious) ideology and dogma. Basically, I mean, if it CAN’T be proved or disproved by science — however many people believe it so — we are operating in the realm of FAITH. String (”M”) Theory qualifies, under this test, as a faith-based belief system. And, because it IS trying to explain such big questions as HOW?, WHEN?, and WHAT NEXT?, it begins to sound a lot like religion.