Maybe I'm speaking from ignorance so please show me why if this is wrong, but I find physics to be much less understanding the universe than observing it (and h

Maybe I'm speaking from ignorance so please show me why if this is wrong, but I find physics to be much less understanding the universe than observing it (and happening to be able to use the language of maths to describe those observations). The naturalness/beauty described by the author is an approach which seeks to formulate theories which help us understand the universe. Perhaos the apparent naturalness/beauty in the equations you state has less to do with understanding what makes the universe work, and more to do with our mind's predisposition that we would tend to observe those relationships first. Many physical laws, AFAIK, appear less as absolute truths, or keys, to understanding the universe and more as just observations about what to expect. IE Newtonian gravity works all the time, is described beautifully in maths, but then at certain scales stops working. Does it really tell us anything about what makes the universe tick? Anyways here is a clip I like from Feynman discussing the idea of beauty in figuring out how nature works: https://youtu.be/MEqMM2Co_9c https://youtu.be/MEqMM2Co_9c