A quantum field theory class isn't enough to actually understand and explain a Casimir experiment if you want to go beyond the 'shut up and calculate' approach.

A quantum field theory class isn't enough to actually understand and explain a Casimir experiment if you want to go beyond the 'shut up and calculate' approach. Being able to compute the Casimir force is insufficient for understanding and explaining the entire experiment. In a Casimir experiment, which closed system can you define in which you require conservation of energy? How do you calculate the total energy in the system in the 'before' and 'after' configurations? How does separating two plates put energy into that system in such a way that it can subsequently manifest itself as the Casimir force? Does separating the plates increase the zero point energy and is that subsequently decreased by the Casimir force? Is it known to be possible to change the zero point energy like that? Arguing violations of the laws of physics is not very interesting if we can't microscopically pinpoint what happens in the first place. Which can be surprisingly hard: it took decades to properly explain Laplace's demon.