http://www.dailyfreepress.com/news/2005/01/27/Opinion/String.Theory.Article.Slanted-843320.shtml

An example that comes to mind is complex analysis: It is very relevant to physics, and one can give all theorems in the subject a physical interpretation: simple poles are electric charges, branch points are magnetic monopoles, etc. But it is a very simple, two dimensional physics, and although it coincides with certain simplified physical phenomena, it is far from being a complete, and closed description of physical reality.

The theory of complex function will always be a fundamental and correct ingredient of any mathematical description of the physical world, but it is not the whole story, and one cannot use it to say anything about, let’s say the big bang or the mass of the electron. For that, one needs many more ingredients, and input from experiments.

My idea is that string theory is a much larger example of the above. It is wonderful, beautiful, very rich, and very coherent, but it is far from being the full story. My point of view is that this is the reason why it cannot make predictions about the physical world, such as the choice of vacuum, for example.

Why wait? Isn’t the anthropic principle intellectual harakiri?

It is of course true that we live in a universe which is not too hostile to human life. If anything, this must be evidence for Intelligent Design.

The only viable explanation of why university physics departments do string theory is the anthropic principle. We live in that branch of the landscape where string theory is correct and the anthropic principle is valid.

That string theorists exist at universities is a well-confirmed 6-sigma fact, and string theory predicts string theorists must exist.

Therefore string theory must be true.

Elementary logic!

String theorists get together and sign a pact to commit suicide if supersymmetry is not found at the LHC.

Then, in the event it is found, they can claim to have anthropically explained it (if the universe were not supersymmetric, they would all be dead afterall!) and award each other prizes.

-drl