Mermin habitually answers opinions, real and abstract

Sabine Hossenfelder

Allen D. Allen

Amin N. Dharamsi

(First paragraph) Because QFT is so neglected by the public (and by many physicists), I am writing a book that presents it without equations. A draft copy of the work, The Theory That Escaped Einstein, can be found through an internet search. Feedback is appreciated.

Daniel M. Greenberger, Abner Shimony

Mark Alford

David Mermin criticizes the “reification” of magnetic fields, but he allows that spark chamber trajectories and atomic spectra are real, so why not also accept magnetic fields, ionic lattices, the cosmic microwave background, and so on? And is reification such a bad habit? Intuitive flashes of insight come as much from immersing yourself in the reality of the physics as from holding your nose and manipulating formal symbols. Often, reification leads us in the right direction: I assume Mermin has no plans to revive Mach’s crusade against the reality of the atom.I sympathize with Mermin’s desire to distinguish between mathematical abstractions like quantum field operators and solid realities like metals, but by any reasonable standard, magnetic fields are just as real as equally invisible variations in air pressure. Mermin worries that quantum mechanics describes fields—and atoms and everything else—in weird abstract terms, but allowing the weirdness of quantum mechanics to undermine the normal concept of what is real seems like a case of taking a successful theory too seriously, which is just what he was warning us not to do.© 2009 American Institute of Physics.

A. Burov

David Mermin seems to advocate the view of theoretical paradoxes and controversies of quantum mechanics and field theory as problems of “tools” of a linguistic or otherwise technical nature. His advice is not to “make life harder than it needs to be.” First, philosophical reduction of a fundamental science to a human tool goes against the main quest of science – the quest for objective truth about the universe. Second, the suggested advice seems more conducive to peace of mind than to scientific inquiry. Paradoxes and contradictions have always been a rich source of inspiration and contemplation for those who are seeking new knowledge.© 2009 American Institute of Physics.