Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will

By Marko Beljac - posted Thursday, 1 December 2011


Blaise Pacal famously argued that, whatever we may think about the reality of God, it is rational to believe in God for should it transpire that the big G indeed "is out there" the rewards in the afterlife for the believer would be most handsome.

It is difficult to be a confirmed pessimist or optimist. There are signs both for hope and despair. But I shall argue, along with Pascal, that we should at least have optimistic belief and act as if we are hopeful. The rewards of optimism might be vast.

There are, it must be said, interesting arguments for pessimism.

Advertisement

Nicholas Coperni cus is credited with providing the key early work that disproved the notion that the Earth lies at the centre of the cosmos. In this way, he helped us to ultimately move beyond Aristotelian physics, paving the way for the scientific revolution.

Ever since then we seem to have lost our sense of centrality or specialness. Things have gotten worse in that respect.

We know that our galaxy is not unique, that there are other galaxies. We know that there are clusters of galaxies. We know that our local cluster of galaxies is not so special for there are also galaxy super-clusters. We are now even finding other planetary systems.

We know that, courtesy of modern cosmology, based on Einstein's theory of General Relativity, that there is no unique vantage point to the universe; no place in the universe is "special." The universe is homogenous and isotropic. It might well be the case, indeed almost surely so, that there exists more to the physical world beyond the observable universe.

This cutting down to size of humanity through the use of increasing scale we call "the Copernican Principle." The Copernican Principle, and its at first brush seemingly contradictory cousin, the Anthropic Principle, is attracting increasing controversy in theoretical physics that has seen physicists question the very nature of science, much less scientific progress.

The most fashionable theory in physics these days, string theory or superstring theory or M-theory, seems to require the existence of many universes known as "the landscape" or "the multiverse." Though string theory holds the promise of being a "theory of everything," and so the ultimate expression of progress in human knowledge, it actually has many "solutions" that describe different worlds.

Advertisement

Each would have its own laws of physics. We happen to live in a universe where the laws of physics are conducive to the evolution of life and so we ought not be in the least bit surprised, given our existence as observers, that the laws of physics here take the form in which they do. The point is that they could be otherwise albeit not here. This is a curious way of combining the Copernican and Anthropic principles. The theory of everything becomes a theory of anything. Though more could be said the time has arrived to bite the tongue.

This tale is not unrelated to our topic. For it is argued, with the utmost justification, that such considerations demonstrate that fundamental physics has gone backwards since the early 1980s.

The parallel between the dominance of string theory in physics and the neoclassical dominance of economic theory is striking in this regard. Even some of the main mathematical considerations, such as the use of topology in string theory and general equilibrium theory, are shared between them. Alas, time to again bite the tongue.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

6 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Mark Beljac teaches at Swinburne University of Technology, is a board member of the New International Bookshop, and is involved with the Industrial Workers of the World, National Tertiary Education Union, National Union of Workers (community) and Friends of the Earth.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Marko Beljac

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Marko Beljac
Article Tools
Comment 6 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy