Three Roads To Quantum Gravity

EPILOGUE:
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A POSSIBLE FUTURE
If I have done my job well I shall have left you with an
understanding of the questions being asked by those of us
who are aiming to complete the twentieth-century revolution
in physics. One or another, or several, or none of the theories I
have discussed may turn out to be right, but I hope that you
will at least have gained an appreciation of what is at stake
and what it will mean when we do ®nally ®nd the quantum
theory of gravity. My own view is that all the ideas I have
discussed here will turn out to be part of the picture ± that is
why I have included them. I hope I have been suf®ciently
clear about my own views for you to have had no trouble
distinguishing them from well established parts of science
such as quantum theory and general relativity.
But above all, I hope you will have been persuaded that the
search for fundamental laws and principles is one that is well
worth supporting. For our community of researchers depends
totally on the community at large for support in our
endeavour. This reliance is twofold. First, it matters to us a
great deal that we are not the only ones who care what space
and time are, or where the universe came from. While I was
writing my ®rst book, I worried a lot over the time I was
spending not doing science. But I found instead that I gained
tremendous energy from all the interactions with ordinary
people who take the time to follow what we do. Others I have
spoken with have had the same experience. The most exciting
thing about being in the position of conveying the cutting