To the extent that we even understand string theory, it may imply a massive number of possible different universes with different laws of physics in each universe, and there may be no way of distinguishing between them or saying why the laws of physics are the way they are. And if I can predict anything, then I haven't explained anything.
Interpretation
This quote discusses the complexities of string theory and the implications of multiple universes with varying physical laws.
Lawrence M. Krauss highlights the difficulties inherent in understanding string theory, suggesting that if it allows for numerous universes governed by different laws of physics, it complicates our ability to comprehend or explain the universe we inhabit. The statement also reflects a philosophical view on knowledge and understanding, indicating that true explanation should allow for predictions, rather than simply identifying possibilities.
In practice
This quote can be used in discussions about the nature of science at a physics conference.
The one experience that I hope every student has at some point in their lives is to have some belief you profoundly, deeply hold, proved to be wrong because that is the most eye-opening experience you can have, and as a scientist, to me, is the most exciting experience I can ever have.
If our species is to survive, our future will probably require outposts beyond our own planet.
The ultimate arbiter of truth is experiment, not the comfort one derives from one's a priori beliefs, nor the beauty or elegance one ascribes to one's theoretical models.
I cannot stress often enough that what science is all about is not proving things to be true but proving them to be false.
The illusion of purpose and design is perhaps the most pervasive illusion about nature that science has to confront on a daily basis.
The universe is the way it is , whether we like_x000D_ it or not. The existence or nonexistence of a creator is independent_x000D_ of our desires . A world without God or purpose may seem harsh_x000D_ or pointless, but that alone doesn ' t require God to actually exist.
As you kind of get over the anxiety about [science and evolution], it actually adds to your sense of awe about this amazing universe that we live in, it doesn't subtract from it at all.
Science demands from a man all his life. If you had two lives that would not be enough for you. Be passionate in your work and in your searching.
Science offers us an explanation of how complexity (the difficult) arose out of simplicity (the easy). The hypothesis of God offers no worthwhile explanation for anything, for it simply postulates what we are trying to explain. It postulates the difficult to explain, and leaves it at that.
If you thought that science was certain - well, that is just an error on your part.
If we find life out there, and it's not us, we will deem it not intelligent. But what may be equally as likely is that we find life that's vastly more intelligent than we are. If that's the case, we are putty in their hands.
By 2040, the Sahara will be moving into Europe and Berlin will be as hot as Baghdad. Atlanta will end up a kudzu jungle. Phoenix will become uninhabitable, as will parts of Beijing (desert), Miami (rising seas) and London (floods). Food shortages will drive millions of people north, raising political tensions.
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