Physics on the Fringe

Page Count: 77,006

Expected Completion Date: Oct 7th, 2094

Book Count: 205

Title: Physics on the Fringe

Author: Margaret Wertheim

     It took me almost 5 weeks to read Physics on the Fringe, a small book of only 284 pages. To say the least, it wasn't my favorite book. I couldn't exactly pinpoint what I didn't like about the book until about 2/3'rds through when I realized....I didn't like any of it.

     Margaret Wertheim's writing style is scattered at best, jumping from history to present day, talking about her main subject matter, Jim Carter, and comparing him to a slew of famous physicists from the past, not being willing to challenge her subject's theory, and ultimately an unscientific approach to the subject of Physics as a whole. 

     Jim Carter, the main subject matter of Physics on the Fringe, is not worthy of a book and it became clear almost immediately to me that this was the case. Jim Carter's "theory of everything" is grounded in one thing, his incapability to understand complex mathematics leads him to conclude that all mainstream theories in Physics are wrong. Margaret Wertheim never challenges this notion, never questions if writing about someone who has dedicated his life to making Physics easier simply because he is incapable of understanding math is a worthwhile endeavor. For me, reading about the man became tedious, and left me wondering if Mr. Carter is worth writing a book on then so is every crackpot yelling theories about everything from Physics to the date of the end of the world. 

     Lastly, Miss Wertheim's repetitive comparison of Jim Carter to famous physicists of the past was inappropriate in almost every instance. Miss Wertheim would open a chapter with one of Jim Carter's many theories, then compare these, or at least put in the same chapter, with physicists from the 1500's and expect readers to think that the comparison was warranted. What Miss Wertheim fails to acknowledge is that in the 1500's physicists were attempting to begin the field, simply offering alternatives to the nothing which existed before, vs. today where math has proven many things and should not be discarded with a grain of salt by the likes of people like Mr. Carter -- this of course includes myself as well, as I'm just as incapable of understanding the complex math associated with today's Physics.

     This has re-established my faith in Science, and my ultimate notion that not understanding something is no excuse for discarding it completely.