IRB Media Summary of Sabine Hossenfelder's Lost in Math

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Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The laws of nature are not defined by mathematic rules, but rather by the beauty and elegance of the theories that explain them. But most people I know make a career by studying things nobody has seen, and they have invented dozens of new particles.#2 The sense of beauty in a physical theory is something that is hardwired in our brain and not a social construct. It is something that touches some internal chord. When you stumble on a beautiful theory, you have the same emotional reaction that you would have if you came across a piece of art.#3 The world is held together by the laws of physics, and the foundations of those laws are unknown. The closest you will get to an answer is following the trail of facts down into the basement of science, where you will encounter theorists arguing whose theory is prettier.#4 The foundations of physics are those ingredients of our theories that cannot, for all we know, be derived from anything simpler. The most important lesson we have learned is that nature plays by the rules of mathematics.