The Trouble with Impartiality

[BenTheMan]

Am I alone in noticing that ``The Trouble with Physics'' is still the book of the month? Is the ``book of the month'' intended to incite discussion, or is it something less academic? For one, I can't join the discussion (probably because of post count), and two, it seems that there is no real discussion there anyway because aparently either no one has read it or no one understands it. If this is the case, then why is it the ``book of the month''?

 

Below is a copy of a private message I sent to blike with a comment for the thread (for some reason I can't participate).

 

I don't know why I can't post in the ``Trouble with Physics'' thread, but it looks like there is a lack of discussion, possibly because everybody has accepted the conclusions of the book already, or because nobody has actually read it.

 

Either way, in the interest of dichotomy, I suggest that you post the following link.

 

http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/12/07...tring-debates/

 

Regards---

Ben Dundee

 

Despite the fact that this message was sent several weeks ago, and the link specifically rebuts the points in the book, my link wasn't posted.

 

So it goes, I guess.

[BenTheMan]

I've also noticed that, aparently, this book has been ``book of the month'' for seven months (since Novemeber).

 

Methinks that this is just a backhanded endorsement, but I'm probably wrong.

 

I'm wrong a lot.

[timo]

- Please try to be more precise (link) what you're talking about. I assume it's about http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23782 .

- Your low postcount is most likely not the reason you may not post there - I must not, either. I bet that either there's a registration list somewhere or (more likely) it's an incorrect setting that no one told the admins about, yet (there's currently a lot of dead links, outdated information, ...).

- Chosing blike to send the pm to might have been the worst possible choice among the admins - I think he's online least of them.

- The book discussions is just one of the many examples what happens when you try to get something started and running with people that you cannot kick in the lowerback physically (i.e. people from the net): Someone has a good idea -> everyone agrees that the idea is great -> everyone adds his ideas how to make it even better or alternatively comes around with a similar idea -> the volume of ideas increases faster than the people contributing -> the number of people contributing to a particular idea approaches zero -> end of story. Iow, I think the section is dead.

[insane_alien]

the thread is in the archives, nobody can post there (well, admin probably can)

[Phi for All]

IIRC, the Book Discussions sub-forum didn't get put on the new server (it wasn't doing well anyway). I think that's why you can't access it. And since it can't be accessed, why would blike bother to post the link? Sorry he didn't reply to you but med school students are like that, only thinking of themselves and their classes.

[timo]

I think you should rework the "site navigation" field on the main page, soon. 4 out of 7 links there are either pointless or dead (I came to the book discussions via the link there and hence didn't notice that it's in the archives - Ben probably came there the same way).

[BenTheMan]

http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/12/07/guest-blogger-joe-polchinski-on-the-string-debates/

 

Broken link.

 

Now I am embarassed.

 

I will assume that this is why my link wasn't posted---apologies for the accusations.

[BenTheMan]

- The book discussions is just one of the many examples what happens when you try to get something started and running with people that you cannot kick in the lowerback physically (i.e. people from the net): Someone has a good idea -> everyone agrees that the idea is great -> everyone adds his ideas how to make it even better or alternatively comes around with a similar idea -> the volume of ideas increases faster than the people contributing -> the number of people contributing to a particular idea approaches zero -> end of story. Iow, I think the section is dead.

 

Fair enough. It just seems like people are eager to embrace Loop Quantum Gravity, despite the fact that they don't know very much about it. I am sure that Smolin, at one time, felt the same way about String Theory. The link to the thread is on the front page, and so it looks (at least to me) like it is an active thing.

 

Perhaps moving the link is a good idea? It's quite clear that nobody read (or nobody wanted to talk about) the book, just a bunch of ``Oh yeah I want to read that book too''-type comments.

 

Sorry he didn't reply to you but med school students are like that, only thinking of themselves and their classes.

 

This I know well. My girlfriend is studying now for her Step 3 (?)---major exam at the end of the third year in med school. And she lives in Texas