This string theory - it vibrates?

September 17, 2009 10:19 AM

Help me find this famous quote (paragraph) about string theory?

I think it's Michio Kaku, but I could be misremembering. It's in an early chapter of a modern lay-person's book about theoretical physics (Possibly Kaku's Hyperspace, possibly Chaos by James Gleick) and the gist of the quote (paragraph) is that string theory is ridiculous, it makes no sense, and we can't prove it, but the only thing we know for certain about string theory is that it is absolutely true.

posted by tzikeh to science & nature (4 comments total)

"In fact, it is often stated that of all the theories proposed in this century, the silliest is quantum theory. Some say that the only thing that quantum theory has going for it, in fact, is that it is unquestionably correct."

From here (oh god, Comic Sans).
posted by specialagentwebb at 11:13 AM on September 17

No reputable physicist would say that string theory is "absolutely true".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:17 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

Stephen Hawking said that denying string theory is a bit like explaining away dinosaur bones by saying God put them there. I can't find the quote though...
posted by xammerboy at 11:26 AM on September 17

Where I went wrong was thinking it was "string theory" and not "quantum theory." Thanks, specialagentwebb!
posted by tzikeh at 3:08 PM on September 17