Does This Year’s Nobel Prize In Physics Make
Einstein Turn In His Grave? The Higgs Fake – How
Particle Physicists Fooled the Nobel Committee is a
merciless critique of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
and of the theoretical model on which the world’s most
expensive experiment is based. Unzicker, a German
physicist and award-winning science writer, argues that
the reaction of the Swedish Academy to last year’s
discovery appears to be a result of being beguiled by
CERN’s attempts to justify the billions of dollars of
public money being spent. The book starts off by
claiming that the greatest physicists such as Einstein,
Dirac of Schrödinger would have considered the
“discovery” of the Higgs particle ridiculous. The
reasons, according to the author, are that: “1) the
so-called standard model has grown unbelievably
complicated, 2) none of the great riddles of physics
that have persisted for a century have been solved, 3)
history suggests that the current model is a dead end,
4) with their ever-more intricate experimental
techniques, particle physicists are fooling themselves
with alleged results, 5) scientific convictions in the
community are established by blind faith in expert
opinions, group-think and parroting, and 6) the data
analysis in its complexity cannot be overseen by
anybody.” Unzicker gives a historical survey of the
field, and concludes that particle physics, as practiced
since 1930, is “a futile enterprise in its entirety.”
The book is peppered with a series of funny quotes from
famous philosophers and scientists. In the last section,
“Antidotes,” he specifically attacks “the overstated
claims by famous physicists such as Rolf-Dieter Heuer,
Michio Kaku, Lisa Randall, Sean Carroll, Brian Cox and
Jim Al-Khalili.” At the end, Unzicker lists questions
that he would like to be asked to particle physicists at
press conferences, hearings and discussions. Unzicker's
books have been praised as “well-grounded, sound, [and]
informed,” and as “vehement pleading for physics as a
natural science, in its best tradition,” but also
dismissed by particle physicists as an “incoherent rant”
and “time-wasting nonsense.” The new book, written in an
even more explicit and provocative tone, is likely to
upset the high energy physics community. Praise for
previous books of the author: The assertion that
“science means, after all, not being a sucker” is well
worth taking to heart. – Publishersweekly A broad
dismissal of modern theoretical physicists…Unzicker also
targets the massive expenditures of funds on high-energy
particle accelerators. – Kirkus Reviews Unzicker dares
to think outside the mainstream. A refreshing and
provoking book... – Prof. Hans Volker
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, University of Heidelberg Timely
needed revision of contemporary physics´ idiocies. –
Prof. Antonio Ruiz de Elvira, University of Alcalá de
Henares A passionate and profound search for scientific
truth. Unzicker's questions to particle physicists at
CERN are justified. PD Peter Thirolf, nuclear physicist
at Munich University. A major contribution to physics...
Unzicker is pointing out that the emperor is naked...
The establishment scientists will curse and moan. –
Edwin E Klingman, author, former NASA Research
Physicist
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