This is why physics is dying

[Retro]

Looking at our modern world, based on serious advancements in physics knowledge and application, you wouldn't think that physics is dying, but apparently it is.

Sabine Hossenfelder reveals why this is and is undertandably visibly upset by it. It basically boils down to money and corruption messing with the purity of cutting edge science research. This means that our gloriously high tech future in the next 50-100 years may not be as advanced as we hope. Mind you, the disruption and damage that climate change is wreaking and mankind's inability to stop diving headlong into it may put paid to us anyway.

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[petermarkley]

Oh, I didn’t see this before posting my other thread! Very cool

 

[Retro]

That's ok, no need to merge threads though as yours is based on someone's response to what she's said and you wrote quite a bit about it, too.

 

[Retro]

More on the the corruption going on in science, explained by Sabine and she's now been kicked out of her former academic institution for speaking up about it.

For years I'd wondered about corruption in science. Think, cutting edge research nowadays, whether physics, medicine, chemistry etc costs millions of pounds or dollars and the scientists have to convince wealthy backers to foot the bill with fat grants or that research doesn't happen. This also has a huge impact on their careers, so none of this can be good for genuine science and so it has proved unfortunately. Sabine explains that there's been no major breakthroughs in 50 years now, although I don't think that's quite true, think the Higgs boson confirmed in 2012, but it has slowed down.

My former academic institution discontinued my affiliation with them after members of the community complained about my criticism, on their research, and on academic conduct in general, and I refused to agree to tone policing. Free speech in Germany has a big problem indeed.

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[petermarkley]

I don’t have any elevated discourse to argue for why, but I’ve gradually come to think Sabine’s critics might be right about her.

I heard Michael Toon mention that Sabine did a video about, I think it was the safety of 5G cell technology. Toon is what I would consider a modest expert in that topic, and he said Sabine’s take was not good. I haven’t watched her video (or even looked for it) which I know would be the fair thing to do. However I suspect she gives too much credence to conspiracy theories and she definitely seems to have a problem with clickbaiting in her content.

Oh yeah, and I saw some behavior of Sabine’s in response to her critics which struck me as less than honest.

Another big issue for me is the wholesale dismantling of science institutions here in the USA. Overall I think we need more trust in science these days, not less. So I end up pretty much siding against Sabine.

 

[Retro]

Another big issue for me is the wholesale dismantling of science institutions here in the USA.

That's because of Trump.

 

[petermarkley]

That's because of Trump.

Well in a sense yes, but the MAGA movement is much bigger than Trump. I have talked to many, many conspiracy theorists and science deniers who disliked Trump but still fit into the general right-wing nationalist picture. Trump didn’t create MAGA; MAGA created Trump.

 

[Retro]

Oh yes, nationalists have always been there and is something that Trump tapped into, but he started the MAGA identity and cult, whipping up the whole thing into the grotesque frenzy that we've seen over the past decade.

Trump's been denying climate change and tbh it wouldn't surprise me if one day he says the earth is flat. If he does, I look forward to your debunk video for that!