> On 9 Jun 2020, at 00:42, 'Brent Meeker' via Everything List > <everything-list@googlegroups.com> wrote: > > > > On 6/8/2020 2:24 PM, Philip Thrift wrote: >> >> >> On Monday, June 8, 2020 at 2:32:26 PM UTC-5, Brent wrote: >> >> >> On 6/7/2020 11:21 PM, Philip Thrift wrote: >>> >>> >>> On Sunday, June 7, 2020 at 10:00:46 AM UTC-5, Alan Grayson wrote: >>> It predicts everything, so it predicts nothing. AG >>> >>> >>> http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2020/05/predictions-are-overrated.html >>> <http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2020/05/predictions-are-overrated.html> : >>> >>> Predictions are overrated >>> >>> >>> <https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mw6w74p3ZYk/XrA-FY5otOI/AAAAAAAAFMU/WiQ7KPBKkekS-DQDW09BgFF_-J92CfS3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/fortune-teller-2.jpeg> >> She writes, "If I have a scientific theory, it is either a good description >> of nature, or it is not." But that is just avoiding the question, which is >> how do we tell a theory that is a good description from a theory that is a >> bad description. Popper says making wrong predicitons means the theory is >> bad. He didn't say making correct predictions make a theory good...although >> Hossenfelder's made-up counter examples pretend that he did. >> >> Obviously there are other criteria for a good theory: Consilience with other >> good theories. Broad scope of application. Precise and unambiguous >> predictions. Clarity and ease of comprehension. Hossenfelder advocates >> "explanatory power" as a better critereon. I think the preceding are what >> constitute explantory power in the scientific sense. Without that >> qualification things like "God did it" or "It's all simulated inside >> arithmetic" have perfect explanatory power. >> >> Brent >> >> >> It's not clear, but a point she has made before is that although general >> relativity has a bunch of "confirmation" success, it is (literally) "wrong" >> (for very small stuff anyway), and quantum mechanics, which also has >> "confirmation" successes, is is incomplete. So both are ultimately failed >> theories. > > I think that's strange meaning of "failed". 90% of (very successful) > engineering is based on Newton and Maxwell. We will never know we have an > ultimately successful theory even if we do have it.
Indeed. The best we can hope is to derive it from some simpler assumption, but those will also never be known as such. Bruno > > Brent > >> >> Physicists who leap from the the "success" of the mathematics in the >> theories to claims about what physical stuff really is are clueless (in her >> view). >> >> But as Jim Baggott has said (in a tweet), she is a sloppy writer. >> >> @philipthrift >> >> >> >> >> >> >> @philipthrift >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Everything List" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/f3405b30-dfe9-4e64-9332-0dcd77a8ca9fo%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/f3405b30-dfe9-4e64-9332-0dcd77a8ca9fo%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > <mailto:everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/c3efbd25-5ffa-6b12-4a2e-4d7e532cb3e9%40verizon.net > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/c3efbd25-5ffa-6b12-4a2e-4d7e532cb3e9%40verizon.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/CCDFA3EA-1FFB-4595-838E-6CC800F4ABB0%40ulb.ac.be.
