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Stephen Wolfram has done real worthwhile physics. He's an exceptionally smart dude, even if that doesn't come across in some of his writing. Just to pour some
by Y_Y 1y ago
Stephen Wolfram has done real worthwhile physics. He's an exceptionally smart dude, even if that doesn't come across in some of his writing.
Just to pour some more opinions on the fire, I think he's been descending into crankery slowly, but steadily, since the 80s. Have a sconce at what his output was like before he took m-expressions and built a paywall around them, become a fairly wealthy demigod of science in the process. https://www.stephenwolfram.com/publications/academic/all/ https://www.stephenwolfram.com/publications/academic/all/
The academy (in physics at least), is crusty and traditional, but not to the point of ignoring good work. It's like alternative medicine, do you think if essential oils cured cancer you wouldn't have all the big pharma companies leaping from their high horses?
Wolfram does some cool stuff with cellular automata, and has lots of students doing cool stuff too. What he's not done, neither with NKS nor anything since, is make some contribution to understanding the physical universe that was significant in eyes other than his own.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- alphazard 1y ago> The academy (in physics at least), is crusty and traditional, but not to the point of ignoring good work. I think experimental physics is always looking for theories that explain what they see, but theoretical physics hasn't delivered in the last few decades and the people employed doing theoretical physics have mostly succeeded at a political game, not a scientific one. > It's like alternative medicine, do you think if essential oils cured cancer you wouldn't have all the big pharma companies leaping from their high horses? There are effective chemicals offered in Europe that are not offered in the US. Sunblock is better outside the US for example. This is because of pharmaceutical interests and the US regulatory framework (which are really the same thing). If an essential oil cured cancer, I agree that word would get out, but the idea that things that work in any capacity for a specific ailment are automatically adopted by whatever corporation deals in that ailment is just not true.
- walleeee 1y agoIf basic interventions in public health could widely prevent or improve chronic conditions, would big pharma or big food voluntarily change its business model for the public good? If wellknown land management practices could cure the decline of soil health, would big ag suddenly change its tune? I've never been in a physics dept, but the parts of the academy I have seen absolutely would (and do) ignore good work if it's inconvenient or somehow unpalatable. This is of course, though not exclusively, related to the marriage of academy and industry. No comment on the merit of Wolfram's work.
- VirusNewbie 1y ago>would big pharma or big food voluntarily change its business model for the public good? Insurance companies would, no? They're got every incentive to reduce payments to pharma companies.
- cultofmetatron 1y agoif the cure becomes to cheap and widely available, why paying for insurance in the first place?
- drdeca 1y agoThere is more than one ailment in existence.