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Lee Smolin

42quotes

Lee Smolin


Physicist, Cosmologist, and Theorist


Full Name and Common Aliases


Lee Smolin is the full name of this renowned physicist. He is also known as Lee Smolins for brief reference.

Birth and Death Dates


Lee Smolin was born on June 5, 1955. As he is still alive, there is no record of his death date.

Nationality and Profession(s)


Smolin holds American citizenship and is a theoretical physicist by profession. He has also worked as a cosmologist and has made significant contributions to our understanding of the universe.

Early Life and Background


Lee Smolin was born in New York City, USA. Growing up in a family that valued education, he developed an early interest in science and mathematics. This fascination led him to pursue higher education at Harvard University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in physics in 1976. He then went on to earn his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Geneva in 1980.

Major Accomplishments


Smolin's work has been instrumental in shaping our understanding of time and its relationship with gravity. One of his most notable contributions is the concept of time as a fundamental aspect of the universe, rather than an emergent property. This idea challenged traditional views on the nature of spacetime.

Notable Works or Actions


Smolin's book, _Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe_, published in 2013, was a culmination of his ideas on time and its significance in understanding the universe. He has also written another book, _The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next_, which explores the limitations of modern physics.

Impact and Legacy


Smolin's work has sparked significant debate within the scientific community, challenging established theories and encouraging new perspectives on fundamental concepts. His ideas have inspired a younger generation of physicists to think differently about the nature of spacetime and time itself.

Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered


Lee Smolin is widely quoted for his groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of time and gravity. His work has sparked important discussions within the scientific community, demonstrating that even in well-established fields like physics, there is always room for new ideas and perspectives. As a result, he remains an influential figure in modern science.

Quotes by Lee Smolin

Space and time emerge from the laws rather than providing an arena in which things happen.
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Space and time emerge from the laws rather than providing an arena in which things happen.
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These two discoveries, of relativity and of the quantum, each required us to break definitively with Newtonian physics. However, in spite of great progress over the century, they remain incomplete. Each has defects that point to a deeper theory. But the main reason each is incomplete is the existence of the other.
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These two discoveries, of relativity and of the quantum, each required us to break definitively with Newtonian physics. However, in spite of great progress over the century, they remain incomplete. Each has defects that point to a deeper theory. But the main reason each is incomplete is the existence of the other.
LS
Without having navigated waters shallow enough for us to see bottom, we’ll be easy prey to mystifiers who want to sell us radical metaphysical fantasies in the guise of science.
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Without having navigated waters shallow enough for us to see bottom, we’ll be easy prey to mystifiers who want to sell us radical metaphysical fantasies in the guise of science.
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The search for the meaning of temperature and entropy of matter led to the discovery of atoms. The search for the meaning of the temperature and entropy of radiation led to the discovery of quanta. In just the same way, the search for the meaning of the temperature and entropy of a black hole is now leading to the discovery of the atomic structure of space and time.
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The search for the meaning of temperature and entropy of matter led to the discovery of atoms. The search for the meaning of the temperature and entropy of radiation led to the discovery of quanta. In just the same way, the search for the meaning of the temperature and entropy of a black hole is now leading to the discovery of the atomic structure of space and time.
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We know no more than we did in 1975 – and that’s not good.
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We know no more than we did in 1975 – and that’s not good.
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Good ideas are not taken seriously enough when they come from people of low status in the academic world; conversely, the ideas of high-status people are often taken too seriously.
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Good ideas are not taken seriously enough when they come from people of low status in the academic world; conversely, the ideas of high-status people are often taken too seriously.
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Whatever is happening on very small scales near the horizon of the black hole will be enlarged by the effect whereby the wavelengths of light are stretched as the light climbs up to us. This means that jf we can observe light coming from very close to the horizon of a black hole, we may be able to see the quantum structure of space itself.
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Whatever is happening on very small scales near the horizon of the black hole will be enlarged by the effect whereby the wavelengths of light are stretched as the light climbs up to us. This means that jf we can observe light coming from very close to the horizon of a black hole, we may be able to see the quantum structure of space itself.
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To understand what we mean when we say that space is discrete, we must put our minds completely into the relational way of thinking, and really try to see and feel the world around us as nothing but a network of evolving relationships. These relationships are not among things situated in space – they are among the events that make up the history of the world. The relationships define the space, not the other way around.
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To understand what we mean when we say that space is discrete, we must put our minds completely into the relational way of thinking, and really try to see and feel the world around us as nothing but a network of evolving relationships. These relationships are not among things situated in space – they are among the events that make up the history of the world. The relationships define the space, not the other way around.
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On the way, I shared the backseat of Feyerabend’s little sports car with the inflatable raft he kept there in case an 8-point earthquake came while he was on the Bay Bridge.
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On the way, I shared the backseat of Feyerabend’s little sports car with the inflatable raft he kept there in case an 8-point earthquake came while he was on the Bay Bridge.
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Science is not about what’s true or what might be true, science is about what people with originally diverse viewpoints can be forced to believe by the weight of public evidence.
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Science is not about what’s true or what might be true, science is about what people with originally diverse viewpoints can be forced to believe by the weight of public evidence.
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