tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post7156263225674276856..comments2023-09-27T07:44:19.769-04:00Comments on Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: Brian Greene's public lectureSabine Hossenfelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-26466502923292960142008-09-07T22:25:00.000-04:002008-09-07T22:25:00.000-04:00for one thing, Brian looks way better than Bee wou...for one thing, Brian looks way better than Bee would in ages :pAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-5747028003676889262008-09-07T13:10:00.000-04:002008-09-07T13:10:00.000-04:00Hi Bee,“That doesn't work because too many people ...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>“That doesn't work because too many people are too busy sprucing up their CVs and don't care what's happening to science.”<BR/><BR/>I find nothing unsatisfactory in your answer for I would agree that science is becoming considered as to be not much more then an occupation rather then being a discipline. I would also agree that CV’s are becoming to be simply resumes reactant to Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74383344366735936382008-09-07T12:48:00.000-04:002008-09-07T12:48:00.000-04:00Hi Phil,An interesting question. I will give you a...Hi Phil,<BR/><BR/>An interesting question. I will give you an answer, but you might find it unsatisfactory: That's not up to me to decide. What I want is a system that operates such that it can adapt to change, reconsider priorities and methodologies if it becomes necessary. Carving things in stone isn't a good thing to do on a dynamical background.<BR/><BR/>As to my own opinion however, I think Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-15575194427196031732008-09-07T12:41:00.000-04:002008-09-07T12:41:00.000-04:00Hi Bee,“Our society has without doubt undergone a ...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>“Our society has without doubt undergone a lot of changes in the last century, and especially the last decade has been very rapid. This has resulted in many changes for the scientific community that need to be addressed.”<BR/><BR/>Do you feel that the extent to which science needs to be changed should be limited to its organization and priorities or does this also extend to the Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-32041496201709415332008-09-07T10:20:00.000-04:002008-09-07T10:20:00.000-04:00Hi Amused,Though I agree with you that similar cri...Hi Amused,<BR/><BR/>Though I agree with you that similar criticism could have applied to earlier times, I am always suspicious about arguments saying something will continue to work because it has previously worked. This is simply a wrong extrapolation in very many cases that I don't trust.<BR/><BR/>Our society has without doubt undergone a lot of changes in the last century, and especially the Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-10153900914101696632008-09-07T10:09:00.000-04:002008-09-07T10:09:00.000-04:00Hi Andrei,Your comment is quite interesting in sev...Hi Andrei,<BR/><BR/>Your comment is quite interesting in several regards. <BR/><BR/>For one, you are completely misconstruing my opinion. I am far from saying that science as it is run today works optimally. In fact, my concerns about the inefficiency in its operation is reason for the conference that starts tomorrow. I myself am very critical about many aspects of academic research that I have Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-24238661105809923472008-09-06T19:56:00.000-04:002008-09-06T19:56:00.000-04:00Steve wrote:"I have read Mangano's rebuttal (also ...Steve wrote:<BR/>"I have read Mangano's rebuttal (also on Arxiv) but have trouble following where the mistake in Plaga's argument is."<BR/><BR/><BR/>Giddings and Mangano spell out in detail the mistake in Plaga's argument. Read the paragraph in their paper beginning:<BR/>"Where did [1] go wrong?" ([1] is the Plaga paper). You only need to read that one paragraph to understand exactly why Plaga isAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-30126066336710954052008-09-06T01:40:00.000-04:002008-09-06T01:40:00.000-04:00I don't think there are any criticisms of science ...I don't think there are any criticisms of science today that didn't also apply at various earlier periods, e.g., to the pursuit of alchemy by Newton and other leading figures of his day. Science continued to advance in the past in spite of this though, so we can be optimistic that genuine progress will also continue in the future despite the distractions from various modern day alchemies (if Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74650688649749818972008-09-05T21:27:00.000-04:002008-09-05T21:27:00.000-04:00That’s quite the anti-science screed there, andrei...That’s quite the anti-science screed there, andrei.<BR/><BR/>On your web page you call yourself a senior researcher, which is funny because you seem to expect science to come up with instant results without 'wasting' time on actual research.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-60320491901235690172008-09-05T15:47:00.000-04:002008-09-05T15:47:00.000-04:00Bee said: “Discussing theories is an essential par...Bee said: “Discussing theories is an essential part of research. That might seem to people outside the community as describing nothing or arguing about empty concepts because the relevance isn't clear to them, but such discussion is a central part of progress. And yes, I do actually think that the possibility for such intellectual life is part of what our civilizations strive for. It is a great Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74841830773733402162008-09-05T08:39:00.000-04:002008-09-05T08:39:00.000-04:00Hi Tom,Abstract mathematics doesn't necessarily co...Hi Tom,<BR/><BR/>Abstract mathematics doesn't necessarily connect to the real world. Also, it is two different shoes translating 'word problems' into maths for the use of learning the maths, and applying learned maths to solve problems. I was talking about the learning and meant to express that the additional complication of extracting the math from a story only distracts from the really Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-4901091506684950242008-09-05T08:33:00.000-04:002008-09-05T08:33:00.000-04:00PS: We had some kids from Poland or Russia via exc...PS: We had some kids from Poland or Russia via exchange programs. They were typically way ahead of all of us.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-82179818239716609182008-09-05T08:32:00.000-04:002008-09-05T08:32:00.000-04:00Hi Luis,To be more precise, I should maybe say we ...Hi Luis,<BR/><BR/>To be more precise, I should maybe say we 'learned'. I have honestly no clue what they teach the kids today in Germany. But I guess, as Stefan said, you learn some basics of electrodynamics as well? Best,<BR/><BR/>B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-75543200981209568972008-09-05T08:25:00.000-04:002008-09-05T08:25:00.000-04:00Steve: I saw the paper, I also saw Gidding's reply...Steve: I saw the paper, I also saw Gidding's reply, but I didn't come around to reading either. If you're following this blog you know a) I'm not actually working on the topic anymore and b) I've been very busy the last months. Since my conference is starting Monday and I have to go on another trip after that, it is also very unlikely I will come around to reading the papers any time soon. Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-90216082792669416652008-09-05T07:30:00.000-04:002008-09-05T07:30:00.000-04:00So you learn elements of QM and special relativity...So you learn elements of QM and special relativity at german high schools? Well, you are certainly ahead of the curve, at Mexico the average course only covers newtonian dynamics in a really boring way...Luis Sanchezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08968074398416860883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-55686890322715699622008-09-05T00:57:00.000-04:002008-09-05T00:57:00.000-04:00One might think I had made a mistake of posting th...One might think I had made a mistake of posting this here under this new blog post entry? <BR/><BR/><I>This comparison also reveals a difference between the positivist and interpretive, or hermeneutic approach to the interpretation of myths. Positivists read myths literally and find them false and foolish; interpretivists read them metaphorically or allegorically and find them true and profoundPlatoHagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00849253658526056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-76528480212661804072008-09-05T00:54:00.000-04:002008-09-05T00:54:00.000-04:00Re the comments at the end about "using real-world...Re the comments at the end about "using real-world examples to teach mathematics": I found this article rather funny. If a student tells me that he understands the abstract mathematics but cannot apply it concretely, I simply conclude that he has been deluding himself --- he didn't really *understand* it in the first place. Translating word problems into mathematics is not just a way of *learningAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-56557672646694330602008-09-05T00:34:00.000-04:002008-09-05T00:34:00.000-04:00It makes sense to me that one might feel this way ...It makes sense to me that one might feel this way having been dealing with the technicalities of the subject in regard to blackholes, but as you say, this is a good connection for others that are being introduced. <BR/><BR/>I like knowing these scientist beyond what they do, as to their professions or trade. To see them involved in a greater mystery that they themself become part of, and give PlatoHagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00849253658526056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-15020928910965208522008-09-04T23:00:00.000-04:002008-09-04T23:00:00.000-04:00Hi Bee,I’m Greene with envy as this is one of the ...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>I’m Greene with envy as this is one of the few PI lectures I couldn’t attend:-) I logged on to get a ticket about 20 minutes after the opening time on Monday, delayed because of issues at work making that the first chance I got and they were already all taken. I even considered showing up anyway in hopes to get in by way of the cancellation process and yet something that Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-92149107648506160452008-09-04T22:49:00.000-04:002008-09-04T22:49:00.000-04:00Bee, I know this is against comments policy, but y...Bee, I know this is against comments policy, but your willingness to talk about LHC safety concerns without being dismissive to us worriers is unusual in your profession. The question is: did you notice R Plaga's August Arxiv paper in which he speculated that there may be a mechanism by which mini black holes could be a planetary danger after all? I have read Mangano's rebuttal (also on Arxiv) Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04108945551064939734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-15667890429030933262008-09-04T18:19:00.000-04:002008-09-04T18:19:00.000-04:00Dear Bee,thanks for the report, sounds as if I've ...Dear Bee,<BR/><BR/>thanks for the report, sounds as if I've missed a very interesting talk...<BR/><BR/>About 1688, I guess Brian Greene refers to the publication of Newton's Principia around that time, but most kids probably also have heard about some physics 150 years younger, the famous three Ohm's laws (U = RI, I = U/R, R = U/I) of electricity ;-). <BR/><BR/>Anyway, I think he's right that stefanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09495628046446378453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-71008035778399935222008-09-04T16:13:00.000-04:002008-09-04T16:13:00.000-04:00Hi Andrew,Sure, I guess it differs greatly from on...Hi Andrew,<BR/><BR/>Sure, I guess it differs greatly from one person to the next which approach they consider most useful. Much like some people do well with visualizations, and others better with derivations. I've never had a problem making a 'story' out of an equation myself, so I'd rather not be bothered with other people's stories, I tend not to like them. There is also a danger in many of Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-23867774373272816702008-09-04T16:07:00.000-04:002008-09-04T16:07:00.000-04:00Hi Andrei,I've worked on black hole physics for mo...Hi Andrei,<BR/><BR/>I've worked on black hole physics for more than a decade. Brian Greene's lecture didn't tell me anything new in this regard, and indeed for me his abilities as a speaker were the most impressing. <BR/><BR/>In this regard however I am hardly representative for the audience. From the questions following the lecture it was pretty clear that many people are still trying to grasp Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-20807771371085962472008-09-04T15:44:00.000-04:002008-09-04T15:44:00.000-04:00Brian Greene is sooo billiant and such a good comm...Brian Greene is sooo billiant and such a good communicator. Makes you sick!<BR/><BR/>Bee said: <EM>"As far as I am concerned, embedding science into stories has always annoyed me. I'd have appreciated less clutter and a more precise formulation in class as well as in textbooks"</EM>. I would tend to agree, but I know a lot of people (OK, men) who worship Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov and other Andrew Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03852211910001840777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-50237420100893296652008-09-04T15:33:00.000-04:002008-09-04T15:33:00.000-04:00So, according to your description, the lecture by ...So, according to your description, the lecture by one of “our great scientists” contained nothing new or simply interesting, so that the most exciting feature was the lecturer's ability to understand oral questions from the public somehow complementing your own difficulty with it. Thank you for an honest account, but further questions appear. Like, is it what the taxpayer's money for science and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com