[LINK] The Problem with Higgs Boson - Was Balance the enemy of facts

[Roger Clarke]

At 12:57 +1000 21/10/11, Tom Koltai wrote:
>  ... when the
>validity of various belief systems several millennia old are about to be
>possibly disproved.

Comfortable as I am with the analysis that precedes that clause, Tom, 
I just have to register by disapproval of that last bit.

The fundamental belief system of practitioners of big science is that 
they deserve lots of money, forever (or until the other big bang, 
whichever comes first).

The means whereby they achieve this is too subtle for the general 
public to grasp, and hence politicians haven't got an earthly of 
catching up.  My physics petered out in Nov 1967, and my meta-physics 
is a bit dated too;  but here goes:

All science is at best approximation.

(That's when it's not just plain wrong).

So there's always an error-factor.

The error-factor in deep physics can be parlayed into the fairyland 
of an infinitely-receding nano-horizon.  Expressed in Kuhnian, at 
each stage, the accumulated anomalies can be explained by postulating 
another deeper-lying fundamental particle.

Which will require billions of dollars and Euros to search for.

If the next round comes while the expression 'god particle' is still 
in vogue, they'll have to finesse a bit.  (Anyone want to take a bet 
on the emergence of the term 'meta-god particle'?).

Otherwise they can just re-cycle the 'god particle' mythology, on the 
grounds that they got close last time, but just one more little push 
is needed.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

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Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University