Blum Alexander S
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, and Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam, Germany.
Stud Hist Philos Sci. 2021 Dec;90:219-225. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.10.010. Epub 2021 Nov 2.
This paper argues that non-empirical physics, as paradigmatically embodied by string theory, is a conservative research program, in spite of appearances. John Wheeler's 1950s research program of "daring conservatism" is identified as another non-empirical research program that checks all the same boxes as string theory. This case study is used to further analyze the connection between conservatism and a non-empirical approach. It is concluded that the prime difficulty of non-empirical physics is not that it involves unbridled speculation, but that the lack of empirical input prevents it from achieving revolutionary progress.
本文认为，尽管表象如此，但以弦理论为典型代表的非经验性物理学是一个保守的研究项目。约翰·惠勒在20世纪50年代的“大胆保守主义”研究项目被视为另一个与弦理论有着相同特征的非经验性研究项目。本案例研究用于进一步分析保守主义与非经验性方法之间的联系。研究得出的结论是，非经验性物理学的主要困难并非在于它涉及肆意猜测，而是缺乏经验输入阻碍了它取得革命性进展。
