On 08 May 2015, at 03:30, Bruce Kellett wrote:
Bruno Marchal wrote:
On 07 May 2015, at 09:47, Bruce Kellett wrote
If a non-physicist shows that they do not really understand the
Standard Model of particle physics, or the Higgs mechanism, then I
attempt to explain it to the in simple terms.
Yes, but not on someone talking always like it was obvious that the
Standard Model was ridiculous.
In that case I would point to the remarkable success of the Standard
Model in explaining a very wide range of physical results. If that
is not sufficient to get a sceptic interested, then you might have a
problem.
But the point is, surely, that you have to convince those who come
to the model with a sceptical cast of mind: you never achieve very
much if you are always preaching to the choir.
Sure. But when you explain something for years in a forum, you end up
with those who skepticism looks more and more like dogmatic trolling
or rhetorical hand waving.
I am a scientist. It happens that I have some vocation for grand
public, if and only if, by construction the argument is understandable
by *all* universal machine (and all humans are).
I am going away for a couple of days so will not be able to reply
more fully in the short term. I will look your material over.
However, a first glance suggests that you might be pitching at the
wrong level. I am not preparing for an exam in computer science or
logic (and I did do a course in symbolic logic, including up to
Goedel's theorem, very many years ago). If I am asked to explain the
Standard Model, I do not start with the theory of Lie groups.
In that case you will make a poor explantion of the type easily
demolished by handwaving. Comp is based on theoretical computer
science. Some amount of it is needed to understand what is a
computation. Or you have to take my authority into account. Why not?
But your tone indicates that you have some prejudice, which are always
hard to make people aware of.
bruno
Bruce
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