Is string theory still worth exploring? | Roger Penrose and Eric Weinstein battle Brian Greene

Roger Penrose and Eric Weinstein go at loggerheads with Brian Greene over the relevance of string theory today.

We previously saw Weinstein and Greene battle it out over the string theory community's toxic culture. Today we get to see physicist Roger Penrose join the the dissention, weighing in on whether the once revelotionary theoretical framework is a thing of the past.

String theory has been dominant in theoretical physics for thirty years, with more scientific papers arising from it than any other theory. But critics argue the theory has held undue influence and it is an error to pursue it.

Is it time to move on from string theory, recognise that the search for supersymmetry has failed, and seek alternative accounts of the universe that are supported by observation and experiment? Or is the continued dominance of string theory justified by its potential to unify our understanding of the universe once and for all?

#StringTheory #TheoryOfEverythingInTheUniverse #StringParticles

Eric Weinstein is a mathematical physicist and the host of the podcast The Portal. He is the former Managing Director of Thiel Capital in San Francisco and was formerly a Co-Founder and Principal of the Natron Group in Manhattan as well as a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford University in the Mathematical Institute.

Sir Roger Penrose is a world-renowned physicist, best known for his work on general relativity and sharing the Wolf Prize for Physics with Stephen Hawking for their work on black holes. His books include The Road to Reality and The Emperor’s New Mind.

Brian Greene is renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory and best-selling books. He has been chairman of the World Science Festival since co-founding it in 2008.

[TheInstituteOfArtAndIdeas]

Do you agree wihth Penrose, Weinstein, or Greene? Let us know in the comments below!

[realityobservationalist]

Regardless of the entire discussion, it's truly remarkable to see a man like Penrose, at 92, still flexing his brain and engaging in these subjects.

[marcomoreiradasilva]

If I get to my 92-year-old and remember my granddaughter's name, I will be happy!! Dr. Penrose is a marvelous example of a great mind working!

[Mike-ksqu]

Im just a measly engineering student, so I'm just incredibly grateful to be able to watch discussions like these for free, in the comfort of my home. 100 years ago, you would have had to go to this event in person. We can learn so much these days, with such little effort as long as we have the interest.

[michaelhill]

I personally think that String Theory is a cautionary tale of what happens when you mistake Math for Physics.

[matthewlee]

I understood next to nothing of what was discussed but I was still totally engrossed.

[gojiplusone]

String theory proves the existence of hip-hop level beef within the physics community.

[gerardopc]

Brian Greene is always a gentleman, let's respect that. He's such a fantastic science communicator as well, one of the best out there.

[deepaktripathi]

I love these types of discussions and environment. I can't get enough of this type of discussion.

[yayo]

I think at this point you should just release the full video free of charge.

[erawanpencil]

My prediction: give it a decade or two after Roger passes away and then his gravitational self-collapse theory will become the norm. Right now the theories are tied to egos and grants and we need that generation to retire... no one wants to admit that someone 'living' got the best theory. Roger's ideas seem the most parsimonious and closest to Occam's razor, and explain multiple mysteries at once. Even if it's not correct on the details, the general geometric framework solving the measurement problem is very appealing.

[professorboltzmann]

Listen to Roger Penrose; this man really knows his physics and extremely insightful.

[jesterlead]

Without honest scientific debate and disagreement, we'd not have progress. Great stuff from three of the best...

[shakdidagalimal]

I appreciate Eric who suddenly goes into the esoteric problems with a fury and clarity delineating the massive issues and laying out the lock out.
When someone has the courage to say what needs to be said I am all for it.

[tjejojyj]

“… so we don’t lose the whole physics enterprise to Sabine Hossenfelder and her adherents.”

That’s a backhanded compliment to SH that makes her sound like the leader of an insurrection!

[vector]

It's personal with Eric. He has grudges.

[kayeassy]

The important thing to notice here is that physical science communications are so focused on string theory and cosmology that the entire physics community is living under its shadows. We have fantastic and rigorous theoretical physics in Non equilibrium statistical physics, condensed matter physics, quantum optics, new emerging branches of physics like (Non-Hermitian quantum mechanics). There are several great experimental things going on !!! But people are kept under the rock of string theory !!

[RafaelRodrigues-rxry]

The ending where Sabrina is cited by name is pure gold. She really became a loud voice against ST.

[kalijasin]

Penrose rebuke of String theorists was brutal.

[periurban]

Greene puts the cart before the horse!
He says if Einstein hadn't described general relativity then string theory would have revealed it, but that's because string theory arose from an attempt to reconcile general relativity with the quantum world! Since he and others like him worked backwards from gravity and the quantum it would be extraordinary if those two foundations were NOT discovered. BUT it doesn't mean it's real or useful.
I can never understand anything Weinstein says, but almost everything Roger Penrose says makes sense, and I love his books. Doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong, but if there is a battle I'm with Roger.