Particle Physics: a Triumph of Humanity

[WasatchMan]

Given all of the bad press and hysteria over the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), I feel it is important to point out the achievements to particle physics that the LHC has been able to provide.  

 

The “Standard Model of Particle Physics” created a system of tiny sub atomic particles to predict results in reality. I believe most physicists would agree that this model violated Occam ’s razor to the extreme.  In other words, if you think circles in circles sounds overly complicated, try looking into particle physics.  Particle physics most of the time sounds like an alternate reality sounding like ramblings of a mad man. However, due to the experimental evidence produced by the LHC, we now know that particles such as the Higgs, and maybe even now anti-matter and Bs mesons, is an observable fact no longer restricted to a theoretical model in someone’s head. This means that one of the most fundamental models produced by humanity accurately represents reality, and is therefore likely true.  This is important.

 

I know we all understand the ethical issues in stealing billions of dollars to work on your own pet projects presents (i.e. it is evil), there is an opportunity here to bask in the intrinsic value provided by the LHC’s continued validation of the predictions of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.  This should be celebrated by all as a triumph of humanity, and our ability to understand and predict the reality we live in, even when it goes against what we would expect.  This is better than Einstein's Theory of Relativity being validated by light bending around an eclipse.

 

I would recommend all to do some research into this great scientific achievement of our time, the validation of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. Humanity is awesome.

[Pepin]

I think particle physics would be invested in quite heavily in a free society. Many people claim that modern physics has brought very little good to market, which isn't true as there are far too many now commonplace technologies that utilize modern physics. It is a risky field because since it is science, nothing may turn up.

 

You also can't really have a directed search, you rather just use your findings as tools. People didn't discover the positron so they could scan the body, rather they discovered antimatter and how to make it, and then someone realized that they could use it to scan the body.

 

It is similar to researching drugs in that you are always kind of gambling. The question of "what benefit does this have?" is simply unknown until it is studied in detail. It may be found to have interesting properties, but to not have much use at all. Or like with the transistor, it might lead to a huge revolution in everything. People don't like that there is risk and no obvious immediate benefit, but that is science.

 

With that said, my case is obviously not to defend taxation or any particular project, but rather to argue that physics is a science that many people would invest heavily in.

[ProfessionalTeabagger]

Humanity didn't do it. A tiny number of smart men did it. "Humanity" no more deserves credit than horses deserve credit for scientific achievements in the 19th century. 

[neeeel]

Humanity didn't do it. A tiny number of smart men did it. "Humanity" no more deserves credit than horses deserve credit for scientific achievements in the 19th century. 

 

You could argue that without the rest of humanity to provide resources, the tiny number of smart men would have not had the time to do what they did, because they would have been too busy gathering food. 

[J. D. Stembal]

There's a documentary about this small cadre of intelligent particle physicists. (Actually, the project employed over 10,000 people.) I haven't yet watched it, but I believe it attempts to validate the expansive cost of the project to the European taxpayer. Indeed, that was the purpose of filming it.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1385956/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

At what cost and for what benefit? Consider if the project would have ever existed if people voluntarily kickstarted it instead of using the force of guns to raise the money. The project is massively over budget ($9 billion Euros as of 2010), and is already undergoing an upgrade with more upgrades proposed. If you recall, the Swiss removed the peg on their currency to the Euro earlier this year. Who knows what this projecting is going to be costing the average European in the future?

 

As it stands, every living member of the EU is on the hook for about 20E.

[ProfessionalTeabagger]

You could argue that without the rest of humanity to provide resources, the tiny number of smart men would have not had the time to do what they did, because they would have been too busy gathering food. 

That's what I'm saying. Human beings are the horses. In fact we should also thank all the animals who suffered and died to sustain the human workforce who supplied the eggheads with their toy. Cows had just as much to do with these supposed important discoveries as most humans. 

[WasatchMan]

That's what I'm saying. Human beings are the horses. In fact we should also thank all the animals who suffered and died to sustain the human workforce who supplied the eggheads with their toy. Cows had just as much to do with these supposed important discoveries as most humans. 

 

If you can't appreciate the achievements of the human mind in the realm of understanding reality and derive pride and joy from that, that is perfectly fine. However, I don't see why you need to try to bring down people who can and do appreciate this.

[WasatchMan]

At what cost and for what benefit? Consider if the project would have ever existed if people voluntarily kickstarted it instead of using the force of guns to raise the money. The project is massively over budget ($9 billion Euros as of 2010), and is already undergoing an upgrade with more upgrades proposed. If you recall, the Swiss removed the peg on their currency to the Euro earlier this year. Who knows what this projecting is going to be costing the average European in the future?

 

 

I definitely get this point, and would welcome the LHC getting all of its funding pulled tomorrow and sold off for scrap metal. 

 

However, these are the cards we are dealt.  I can't change the way science is currently funded, but I can still appreciate the intrinsic value of achievements and breakthroughs in the realm of understanding the fundamentals of reality. 

 

Regardless of the funding mechanisim, the Standard Model of Particles Physics is being validated as true, and this is pretty awesome as fact in and of itself.

[Mister Mister]

Some pretty broad claims are being made here.  What exactly has been proven, and what does it allow us to predict?  What technologies have been derived from this stuff?