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Originally Posted by Christian.Muys
I am more than pleased to see that none of you could be called defenders of that mysterious theory, but do follow the evolution of it very close.
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First off, Christian. Welcome to BAUT.
Well, it depends on what you mean by defenders. To be honest, there might be one or two here that know enough about it mathematically to have an informed opinion. The rest of us have to depend on third party explanations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian.Muys
But do I feel, after reading the link, that 'mainstream'-scientists are not that quite satisfied with the present laws (or interpretations) ?
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Again, depends on which laws, theories or interpretations of theories or parts of theories you are talking about
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Originally Posted by Christian.Muys
If I see mentioning a name (Lee Smolin), may I presume that person is in his own domain someone respected?
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It depends on the domain. There are many ATM persons mentioned whose views may get them labled as a nut, by mainstreamers. Many web pages with oddball theories fall into this category. There are some whose ideas may not be all that respected by the mainstream, for whatever reason, but either their ideas have enough support or they are so respected in an area, that they are given the benifit of the doubt. Einstein's search for a unification theory in his later years may fall into this category . There are some whose views are respected by the mainstream in one area, but not in another. Hannes Alfven might be an example. It's difficult to generalize. The best way, is to check out the person and their views. Of course, it helps if you can follow the technical aspects and come to your own conclusion. Lee Smolin is mentioned as he was an early advocate for string theory, but has recently started questioning whether there is or even if there could be something to string theory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian.Muys
Are there certain persons attracting much attention among the scientific community ?
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In what areas? Some attract attention and don't deserve it or the attention is misplaced. Others, don't get the recognition they deserve for their contributions.