Re Weinstein, Dale.
A search for his Oxford lecture showed me a very long ‘item titled The Greatest Hoax in Physics — Eric Weinstein. It’s about making math even less comprehensible by adding three more dimensions, from 11 to 14, and 150 new particles. I will find something else to do and let others do battle.

@yvilletom At first I thought this was a total bogus thing. Then I did some more research and found that Eric has been busy talking with other noted Physicists and Mathematicians. To my surprise I have read about ten books that show his equations are what he says they are. He also has talked to the people at the University of California at San Diego, People at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Canada, and of course Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania. He has had video casts where he talks about his theories with Roger Penrose, Garrett Lisi and several other prominent Physicists. He is going to be having two in-depth conversations with Stephen Wolfram that should be more than interesting. He did get a bad review from The Guardian. So far I have been trying to figure out what he is talking about and so far I am impressed. Now he may be wrong, but he will be interesting and in Science those who make mistakes learn from what they have done. I take the word of other noted Physicists and Mathematicians over a magazine article. At least I am learning a lot of math and physics, which is one of my goals in life.

@dalefvictor
Dale, you’re studying this material. Based on what you’ve seen, is one of these two statements more true than the other?

1. Physics is mathematics, or 2) Physics is energy?
   Which one?

Those are two positions in a century-long conflict in physics.

Something else.
Gravity cosmology is a realm of mathematicians alone and has lost touch with physical reality.
Plasma cosmology is a realm of electrical engineers and is verifiable by experiment.
Source:HoloscienceArchive dot pdf page 43

My first psy elective was an intro course. My second and last was Abnormal Psy. I knew I was abnormal but it didn’t tell me in what way.
My BA was in math and I thought art students strange. Twenty years, computers and a physics minor later I was retired and in art classes knew math students were strange. The quantum world and integral calculus belong together.
I knew S A in Florida. At U of F a pal had gone to St. Leo and I sometimes went to St. Pete via northwest Tampa. I canoed near G’ville and at Homosassa Springs.

Terrill, in the here and now, Covid-19 is reducing the number of science deniers who refuse to wear masks. They are taking with them others who affirm science but perhaps do not affirm it enough that they insist on wearing masks.

I added the “here and now” above because I’ve read that the US has long had an anti-intellectual minority.

Have you read of the “great awakenings” in American history, when religious people became active in politics? I understand there were two — the first in the early 1700s and the second in the 1830s. I read that after one of them, people became discouraged and “went back to their churches”.

With President Reagan in the 1980s having invited evangelicals to join the GOP, he might have started another great awakening. Any thoughts on that?

But they use it as they see fit, just like they use religion. Have you heard the latest claims by that "my pillow" idiot?

@yvilletom

Reagan did begin the newest trend in anti-intellectualism. In 1983, during Reagan's bid for his second term, he and the Republican Party made as part of their platform an anti-intellectual movement. He claimed that Democrats were elite and did not understand the common man due to their education. The Republicans made being intelligent and educated a bad word. He made being smart a deficit instead of a benefit.

The Republicans picked up the ball and have expanded the anti-intellectual movement until we had a Republican Congressman stand up in Congress and actually say that education is bad, that a college education is bad and a handicap instead of a step up. This movement gave us the likes of Jim Jordan. This movement has put religiosity ahead of fact and evidence.

There nothing wrong with respecting the "Common Man", the "working Stiff", in fact it would be wrong not too. But this world is so complex, that to diminish intellectualism only takes us down a path toward a new "Dark Ages".

@bingst

He is not a scientist. Do not confuse psuedo-science with real science. The constraints put upon real scientists to do their research, publish their findings and advance the field of science is rigorous enough that few charlatans get through in the real scientific world. So do not confuse psuedo-science with the real thing.

@bingst

P.S. Don't confuse "Technology" with "Science". Technology borrows from science, but their agenda is difference. Technology shortcuts the scientific process in order to maximize profit. We need technology as we have created a world that needs technology to survive and maintain. But Technology is not science. Science is not perfect, but it has rules, it has a check and balance system that keeps bad science to a minimum. Technology only has profit as its check and balance.

@t1nick I think you've misread me. Also, technology is the application of science.

@bingst
Yes but with a motivation that often short cuts the scientific process is the seeking of profit and the bottom line. Surprisingly, Micheal Crichton spoke eloquently to the differences between scientists and technologists in his first Jurassic Park novel. TEchnology is applied science, but with a difference in their motivation for what they do.

@bingst Technology brings about relevant questions and with that scientist theorize what may be possible, Then the cycle goes back to technology for a design directed at the new question. Sort of like CERN, we see the expansion continuously due to the new technology illuminating new questions.

@EMC2

I agree. It is a cycle science > technology > science > etc. I'm not putting down Technologists, just making a distinction between the two groups based upon their driving motivations.