How to Be the Theory of Everything

ORBITER’s recent post about Edward Witten, “The High Priest of Theoretical Physics,” sparked a lot of interest here and some lively conversation on our Facebook page. So we’re just going to blog about Witten, theoretical physics, and string theory from now on . . .

But seriously, we found Natalie Wolchover’s new essay at Quanta a valuable addition to the conversation. Wolchover begins by noting that M-theory is “often described as the leading candidate for the theory of everything in our universe.” But since there’s no empirical evidence for a TOE, Wolchover wonders: “Why, then, is string/M-theory given the edge over the others?”

And she goes on to answer it in a way that theoretical physics geeks (clarification: the geeks are real, the physics are theoretical) will fully appreciate.

The editorial staff of ORBITER magazine humbly pursues life's Big Questions, illuminating the human condition and our place in the universe.