MOTION MOUNTAIN

278 9 concepts, lies and patterns of nature
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sible.Whensaying ‘lawsgovern nature’ we actually mean to say ‘being lazy, we describe
observations with patterns’. Laws are the epitome of laziness. Formulating laws is pure
sloth. In fact, the correct expression is
⊳ Patterns describe nature.
Physicists have written about the laziness necessary to find patterns in much detail. In
order to become a master of laziness, we need to distinguish lazy patterns from those
which are not, such as lies, beliefs, statements that are not about observations, and statementsthatarenotabout
motion.Wedothisbelow.
The quest for laziness is the origin, among others, of the use of numbers in physics.
Observables are often best described with the help of numbers, because numbers allow
easy and precise communication and classification. Length, velocity, angles, temperature,
voltage or field strength are of this type.The notion of ‘number’, used in every measurement,
is constructed, often unconsciously, from the notions of ‘set’ and ‘relation’, as
shownabove. Apart from the notion of number, other concepts are regularly defined to
allow fast and compact communication of the ‘laws’ of nature; all are ‘abbreviation tools.’
In this sense, the statement ‘the level of the Kac–Moody algebra of the Lagrangian of the
heterotic superstring model is equal to one’ contains precise information, explainable
to everybody; however, it would take dozens of pages to express it using only the terms
‘set’ and ‘relation.’ In short, the precision common in physics results from its quest for
laziness.
“Esistbesser,daßdieLeute nichtwissen,wie
GesetzeundWurstzustandekommen. Sonst
könnten sienachtsnichtruhig schlafen.*
Bismarck,Ottovon”
Are physical concepts discovered or created?
3”
“DaslogischeBildderTatsachenistder
Gedanke.**
LudwigWittgenstein, Tractatus,
The title question is often rephrased as: are physical concepts free of beliefs, taste or personal
choices? The question has been discussed so much that it even appears in Hollywood
films. We give a short summary that can help you to distinguish honest from
dishonest teachers.
Creation of concepts, in contrast to their discovery, would imply free choice between
many alternative possibilities.The chosen alternative for the definition of concepts would
then be due to the beliefs or tastes used. In physics (in obvious contrast to other, more
ideological fields of enquiry), we know that different physical descriptions of observations
are either equivalent or, in the opposite case, imprecise or even wrong. A physical
description of observations is thus essentially unique: any choices of concepts are only
apparent.There is no real freedom in the definition of physical concepts. In this property,
physics is in strong contrast to artistic activity.
* ‘It is better that people do not know how laws and sausages are made. Otherwise they would not sleep
wellatnight.’ Otto vonBismarck(b.1815Schönhausen,d.1898Friedrichsruh) wasPrussianChancellor.
** ‘Alogical picture offactsisathought.’
Motion Mountain – The Adventure of Physics copyright © Christoph Schiller June 1990–November 2015 free pdf file available at www.motionmountain.net