Newsgroup: it.scienza.fisica
Titolo: segnalazione: libri di prossima uscita

Riporto una segnalazione trovata su sci.physics.research.
Bye
Hyper
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0224076051/203-7681943-6666362
"
"Not Even Wrong":
The Failure of String Theory and the Continuing Challenge to Unify the
Laws of Physics"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618551050/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/103-8559052-3893408?%5Fencoding=UTF8
"The Trouble With Physics":
"The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next".
Not Even Wrong, by P. Woit
Editorial Review (Amazon.com)
Has physics gone off in the wrong direction? Peter Woit presents the other
side of the growing debate on string theory--arguing that it's not even
science
At what point does theory depart the realm of testable hypothesis and come
to resemble something like aesthetic speculation, or even theology? The
legendary physicist Wolfgang Pauli had a phrase for such ideas: He would
describe them as "not even wrong," meaning that they were so incomplete that
they could not even be used to make predictions to compare with observations
to see whether they were wrong or not.
In Peter Woit's view, superstring theory is just such an idea. In Not Even
Wrong, he shows that what many physicists call superstring "theory" is not a
theory at all. It makes no predictions, even wrong ones, and this very lack
of falsifiability is what has allowed the subject to survive and flourish.
Not Even Wrong explains why the mathematical conditions for progress in
physics are entirely absent from superstring theory today and shows that
judgments about scientific statements, which should be based on the logical
consistency of argument and experimental evidence, are instead based on the
eminence of those claiming to know the truth.
In the face of many books from enthusiasts for string theory, this book
presents the other side of the story.
The Trouble With Physics, by L. Smolin
Editorial Review (Amazon.com)
In this groundbreaking book, the renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin
argues that physics-the basis for all other science-has lost its way. The
problem is string theory, an ambitious attempt to formulate "a theory of
everything" that explains all the forces and particles of nature and how the
universe came to be. With its exotic new particles and parallel universes,
string theory has captured the public"s imagination and seduced many
physicists. But as Smolin reveals, there"s a deep flaw in the theory: no
part of it has been proven, and no one knows how to prove it. As a
scientific theory, it has been a colossal failure. And because it has soaked
up the lion's share of funding, attracted some of the best minds, and
penalized young physicists for pursuing other avenues, it is dragging the
rest of physics down with it. With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin
charts the rise and fall of string theory and takes a fascinating look at
what will replace it. A group of young theorists has begun to develop
exciting new ideas that are, unlike string theory, testable. Smolin tells us
who and what to watch for in the coming years and how we can find the next
Einstein. This is a wake-up call, and Lee Smolin-a former string theorist
himself- is the perfect person to deliver it.

 "The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next".
Nel mio piccolo, e senza aver scritto libri così interessanti, anch'io da
anni batto sul tasto della *degenerazione* della fisica contemporanea
(ultimo thread pochi giorni fa qui su ISF: "E' scienza questa?").
Fa piacere che finalmente persone di un certo valore (almeno Smolin, Woit
non lo conosco), sollevino finalmente il velo sulla realtà controversa di
buona parte della ricerca fondamentale della fisica attuale, aprendo
ufficialmente il dibattito. Sarebbe bello se tutto ciò servisse a
stimolare 
da un canto i giovani a ricercare vie nuove e, come dice Smolin, d'altro
canto a favorire una distribuzione dei fondi di ricerca più aperta e meno
influenzata dalle mode più o meno glamour del momento.
Grazie della segnalazione.
Saluti,
Aleph     
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