Why string theory is wrong | Edward Frenkel and Lex Fridman

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GUEST BIO:
Edward Frenkel is a mathematician at UC Berkeley working on the interface of mathematics and quantum physics. He is the author of Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality.

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[LexClips]

Guest bio: Edward Frenkel is a mathematician at UC Berkeley working on the interface of mathematics and quantum physics. He is the author of Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality.

[omni_]

I choose to believe that in some 10 dimensional universe there are beings that can't unify their own physics but are nailing a 4 dimensional model.

[mixuaquela]

I could listen to this guy for 5h straight. He's a natural speaker.

[RaysDad]

The Universe once again refuses to comply with the beautiful mathematics.

[ephi]

"All dimensions are created equal" - A Mathematician

[mohammadalirashed]

I'm way too dumb for this conversation

[SuchNewt]

The problem with string theory is that it's basically untestable. With the standard model we can say "ok, we've never observed this particular particle, but the standard model says it should exist under these sets of circumstances, so if we recreate those circumstances we should be able to observe it and it will have these specific properties" and when we run that experiment it just works, and we find that particle with those properties and it reinforces the standard model.

String theory cannot be tested like that, if an experiment that would prove some aspect of string theory fails, they can just say "well no it didn't fail, the results are just only observable from a higher dimension we don't have access to and thus cannot observe.

This is inherently unscientific, you can't have a theory which cannot be verified through experimentation and observation. That is not in line with the scientific method, and therefore many physicists are now coming out and saying string theory isn't scientific and should not be taken seriously, because it is inherently unverifiable.

[KamuzXDriver]

Physicists love to say beauty is in simplicity, but the simplest model is that we only have 3 spatial dimensions.

[o]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:02 🌌 *Overview of Physics Crisis*
- The current gap in physics exists between sophisticated theories derived from advanced mathematics and the application of these theories to understand the actual universe.
01:17 🤔 *String Theory's Unfulfilled Promise*
- String theory, describing 10-dimensional space-time, was anticipated to unify the standard model and Einstein's relativity but has not succeeded so far.
02:01 🎻 *Beauty of String Theory*
- String theory conceptualizes particles as vibrations of fundamental strings, providing a unified principle for diverse particles and interactions.
- Despite seeming mathematically challenging, string theory elegantly satisfies constraints, akin to a fortunate alignment in a complex scenario.
04:05 🧮 *Mathematicians' Perspective on String Theory*
- Mathematicians appreciate string theory for its intellectual richness and thought-provoking concepts, regardless of its manifestation in 10 dimensions rather than the familiar four.
04:31 🎰 *Odds of String Theory's Validity*
- The current form of string theory may not seem promising for understanding our reality based on existing knowledge.
- There is a possibility that, with modifications and essential new elements, string theory could evolve to provide a better understanding of reality.
05:14 🤪 *Embracing the 'Craziness' in Scientific Theories*
- Quoting Niels Bohr, the discussion highlights the notion that a scientific theory may seem 'crazy, ' but its ability to accurately describe reality is the true measure of its validity.

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[frew]

String theory is celebrated in part because the force carrying particle for gravity, the graviton, emerges "naturally" out of the math. But Einstein did not regard gravity as a force. It's a phenomenon that arises from space-time curvature. String theory is a hammer, and gravity, as described by general realativity, has no nail.

[markberman]

What a great interview and a joy to listen to.

[abundantabsurdity]

I have yet to watch this video but I've always wondered of string theory, why does the sting move? What's in the center of the string? What's it made of? How did it form?

[marcuscarana]

For those who have no idea about string theory. It's a theory formulated to explain how our universe works. Unfortunately, many of this theory's predictions are not found in our universe. That's why it's been shelved by a lot of scientists. There's been quite a lot of disdain for this field of study because so much funding, money, time and effort was spent on it throughout the years. And some scientists feel as if we wasted all of that for a theory that is most likely wrong as its predictions are not the same with how our universe behaves.

[rezNezami]

String theory is not even wrong! There was a time in 90's it was able to be wrong, but by late 90's it turned into an infallable theory which can never be proven wrong since it has so many parameters to adjust to make it fit any situation!

[lucidzfl]

String theory is the aether of the 20th and 21st centuries.

[Ryan-]

Years ago I was excited by string theory and watched everything I could on the subject. Now years later it makes me sad that string theory has not yet to this day, proven anything through experiments. Also today, scientists very rarely mention string theory, despite wasting decades of their careers studying it with blind faith.

[reiniervanramshorst]

It's interesting to see more and more people shit on string theory

[Phymaths]

Frenkel saying that string theory lives in 10 dimensions isn't entirely correct. The central charge of the matter theory should be 10. It doesn't necessarily mean that you need to have 10 dimensions (one way to have a central charge of 10 is to have 10 dimensions but it isn't the only way).
Moreover, even if the dimensions are 10, we do have conpactifications to bring the theory to 4 dimensions. So the criticism that string theory is not right because we have 10 dimensions there is kinda ameture (granted that I have a lot of respect for Frenkel but this argument is simply not convincing). Even the bitterest critics of strings don't use this argument anymore (except Penrose I guess).

[daveredinger]

I can listen to him forever. Been a huge fan of his for years.!!!

[cleander]

I appreciate his honesty in describing the shortcomings of the ST, as opposed to hype up as if it’s flawless. I think a five or higher dimensional universe is a BS to the same reason that a three or lower dimensional universe doesn’t exist. Math is just a tool and we must strive to use it as such that it describes the reality.