Quantum Field Theory and the Problem With Indirect Evidence

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The standard model of particle physics seems to do everything possible that we can think of a theory to do, maybe other than supersymmetry. But effective field theories are making it too accurate to describe the world right now at the energies that we have access to. They sadly indicate why it is hard to move beyond our current best understanding because indirect evidence is very, very limited in what it can possibly tell us.

Physics is in crisis, what else is new? That's what we hear in certain corners, anyway, usually pointed at "fundamental" physics of particles and fields. (Condensed matter and biophysics etc. are just fine.) In this solo podcast I ruminate on the unusual situation fundamental physics finds itself in, where we have a theoretical understanding that fits almost all the data, but which nobody believes to be the final answer. I talk about how we got here, and argue that it's not really a "crisis" in any real sense. But there are ways I think the academic community could handle the problem better, especially by making more space for respectable but minority approaches to deep puzzles.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/31/245-solo-the-crisis-in-physics/

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