ars technica: Every article on quantum gravity begins the same way.

(Though every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way … )

Progress in uniting quantum mechanics with general relativity has typically proceeded along two lines. Option one is to generate seemingly outlandish ideas, such as string theory, loop quantum gravity, and their brethren, which resolve the problem by positing the existence of things as yet unobserved.

Which is a problem. I mean, how much unseen evidence are we,  the lay public, supposed to stomach? That’s what I say about all this fooling about with quantum mechanics. Which otherwise I do adore, as I’m certain longtime readers will agree.

This depressing state of affairs has led to reappearance of the anthropic principle, which, while being very deep and meaningful, also finds itself in the embarrassing position of stating the bleeding obvious.

What a nice approach. Quite thoughtful, to acknowledge the extremes to which one must think. Is it string theory, multiple universes quivering alongside one another like so many strings on a harp … or does the earth go round the sun and so on, in an exponential infinity of tidiness. (Till you come to the edge of things, of course.)

… a recent finding in quantum mechanics … the universe behaves as if it has four dimensions at larger scales, but this can be reduced to two dimensions as the scale is reduced … by treating space and time differently as well as separately, the infinities in the quantum mechanics equations vanish, and gravity behaves as it should.

There. Things are beginning to shape up nicely.

Interestingly, space remains the same in all directions, while time does not. This appeals to me, because it points to fabric of the universe supplying time with a preferred direction.

And it appeals to me as well. Things have been rather all too upset lately.

A key idea, going way back to Galileo is that all accurate observations are equally valid and must agree.

But if you are willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater, who knows what sort of things you will discover:

… we may find that quantum mechanics, gravity, and inflation end up sharing a house and supporting the same football teams … and the anthropic principle would resume its rightful place as a forgotten statement of the bleeding obvious.

The Brits get to say bleeding all the time and it is awfully handy.

Wikipedia: The anthropic principle is the collective name for several ways of asserting that physical and chemical theories, especially astrophysics and cosmology, need to take into account that there is life on Earth, and that one form of that life, Homo sapiens, has attained sapience. The only kind of universe humans can occupy is one that is similar to the current one.

Is that what all the bleeding fuss is about? I could have told them, Stay with what’s nice for people. It’s people wot care for their own comfort. Remember that.

Tags: quantum reality

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