3 ms·

"Quantum" is a science-y sounding word which sensationalist scientists use to push their otherwise inexplicable "exciting" ideas for fundraising. It's a joke in

"Quantum" is a science-y sounding word which sensationalist scientists use to push their otherwise inexplicable "exciting" ideas for fundraising. It's a joke in itself. A parody of what physics actually is. Even the actual scientist who formulated Quantum Electrodynamics didn't quite understand what quantum is and what to make of it, nor did he find a way to properly explain it. This term and the theories behind it were used just to explain some connections in phenomena, not to invent new ones! Quantum laser, quantum liquid, quantum crystals, quantum nose, quantum ass! There was a post here somewhere, discussing that science isn't exactly science anymore when it very closely resembles its own stereotype. A philosopher for example today isn't someone who actually thinks, but rather a person who writes non-sense papers just for the sake to be published in a major journal, because otherwise they can't find a job. So, it's not the scientists who publish science-y papers who deserve credit. I don't know who deserves any credit anymore. Academia makes me sick to my stomach.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
krastanov 9y ago
You are referring to Feynman, but you are misunderstanding his quote quite a bit. He belongs to the "shut up and calculate" camp of science, and tried to say that it is not worth it to try to build "intuition" about a phenomenon so remote from the scale at which humans experience the world. Instead of relying on hearsay to reinforce your beliefs, I implore you to challenge them and read an intro science textbook on quantum mechanics. It is that theory of nature that permitted us to build the day-to-day electronics that powers our lives and our civilization, and it is empowering to understand it. "Theoretical Minimum" is a good set of free courses with video lectures for instance. Or if you prefer you can just continue with your self-aggrandizing pity and willful ignorance. It is true that there is a rat race in the sciences, but that does not devalue the amazing advances that science has nontheless given us. Edit: for the more advanced I would suggest reading the first few chapters of Sakurai's or Griffiths' Quantum Mechanics textbook - if you know math they explain how quantum mechanics works quite well. Or Aaronson'a Quantum Computing since Democritus if you are more interested in computational complexity.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

krastanov 9y ago

You are referring to Feynman, but you are misunderstanding his quote quite a bit. He belongs to the "shut up and calculate" camp of science, and tried to say that it is not worth it to try to build "intuition" about a phenomenon so remote from the scale at which humans experience the world. Instead of relying on hearsay to reinforce your beliefs, I implore you to challenge them and read an intro science textbook on quantum mechanics. It is that theory of nature that permitted us to build the day-to-day electronics that powers our lives and our civilization, and it is empowering to understand it. "Theoretical Minimum" is a good set of free courses with video lectures for instance. Or if you prefer you can just continue with your self-aggrandizing pity and willful ignorance. It is true that there is a rat race in the sciences, but that does not devalue the amazing advances that science has nontheless given us. Edit: for the more advanced I would suggest reading the first few chapters of Sakurai's or Griffiths' Quantum Mechanics textbook - if you know math they explain how quantum mechanics works quite well. Or Aaronson'a Quantum Computing since Democritus if you are more interested in computational complexity.