On Progress in Physics and Subjectivity Theory

This book is addressed to physicists by a well-informed author (whoever N.Otre le Vant is) who is not a physicist. The author does not seem to be a philosopher either, which many physics will find positive. I am a physicist and welcome this enthusiastic amateur's contribution.

The message is that physics is stuck and needs a form a dynamic creative scepticism to get moving. This message is presented as dialogue between Alice and Bob. The stance of both is sceptical. Alice is sceptical about Bob's claims and Bob is sceptical by method while generating many ideas. None of them are new in themselves but the dynamic generation and rejection is one of the main messages. In this it comes close to an informal exercise in Critical Rationalism (Popper is one of the few philosophers referenced) with a fair dose of Feyerabend's “anything goes”. The fallibilist message that all theories are likely to be wrong is consistent with Popper's philosophy.

Although addressed to physicists in general it will be difficult to motivate those who are still stuck in the “shut up and calculate” mindset, who would benefit most, to pick up this book. The book (especially the third part) provides a wide-ranging overview of issues in physics and innovation more generally. this could be interesting to a wider readership and the informal dialogue format should be attractive. The second part “Subjectivity Theory” is the least successful. The notion that “the world” is crated in the mind is not new and stronger cases have been made for it. However, it does not play a great in part 3.

“On Progress In Physics” handles the dialogue form in an entertaining and often informative way. Its pace would be improved through some editing. Even the dialogue itself says that some content is there to fill several pages.