X-Message-Number: 19150
From: "Brett Bellmore" <>
Subject: Re: Why no fundamental advances in physics?
Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 10:31:59 -0400

Why no fundamental advances in physics lately? I'd say you could attribute
it to two factors:

1. Our current physical theories are a frighteningly close approximation of
the behavior of the universe, at least the bits of it we can get at. Physics
advances by noting discrepencies between experiment and theory. No
discrepencies, no advance. Based on this, physics should pick up again when
we can get at those bits of the universe we can't currently observe. It
will, unfortunately, take us a while to get the tools to do that.

2. WE'VE GOT MONKEY BRAINS! No, seriously, it's remarkable we've gotten this
far with brains evolved for a primative hunter-gatherer lifestyle. And that
fact that we HAVE gotten this far has relied on a tiny minority of
anomolously intelligent people, way out at the end of the probability
distribution. I really think we're reaching the limits of what unaided human
brains are capable of. Hopefully, improving those brains will prove to be
within those limits.

Brett Bellmore

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