What’s Wrong with Physics

One of the best things about being a full-time staff writer (as opposed to lowly blogger) for Scientific American back in the 1990s was that I got to hang out with all these smart, curious people who knew a lot about a lot of things. That’s also one of the best things about my job at Stevens Institute of Technology, where I’ve taught since 2005. The people I know best are my colleagues in the College of Arts & Letters, who include philosophers, historians, anthropologists, psychologists, social scientists, artists and musicians. But I’ve also gotten to know engineers and hard scientists. One is Chris Search, a physicist who specializes in quantum optics. I like bringing him into my science-writing seminar because my students love hearing him riff, with great enthusiasm and candor, about physics and other science-related topics. I thought readers of this blog might enjoy hearing Search’s views too. Below are his answers to my questions. – John Horgan