I love this passage, especially because it comes from a scientist, yet is really a universal truth to human philosophical endeavors. The book itself is a great read. Personally I found it tough going as the scales and dimensions multiplied in the second half, and yet the writing was clear enough to keep me intrigued. Regarding the first half, I have a better understanding of relativity and quantum physics, and appreciation for the 'loaves' of space-time. Overall, I found it a comforting picture to describe the dimensions in which we exist, while opening the door to doubt that remains.
"Physicists spend a large part of their lives in a state of confusion. It's an occupational hazard. To excel in physics is to embrace doubt while walking the winding road to clarity. The tantalizing discomfort of perplexity is what inspires otherwise ordinary men and women to extraordinary feats in ingenuity and creativity; nothing quite focuses the mind like dissonant details awaiting harmonious resolution. But en route to explanation - during their search for new frameworks to address outstanding questions - theorists must tread with considered step through the jungle of bewilderment, guided mostly by hunches, inklings, clues and calculations. And as the majority of researchers have a tendency to cover their tracks, discoveries often bear little evidence of the arduous terrain that's been covered. But don't lose sight of the fact that nothing comes easily. Nature does not give up her secrets lightly."
(p471, The Fabric of the Cosmos, First Vintage 2005)
Video: The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space? | Watch NOVA Online | PBS Video
"Physicists spend a large part of their lives in a state of confusion. It's an occupational hazard. To excel in physics is to embrace doubt while walking the winding road to clarity. The tantalizing discomfort of perplexity is what inspires otherwise ordinary men and women to extraordinary feats in ingenuity and creativity; nothing quite focuses the mind like dissonant details awaiting harmonious resolution. But en route to explanation - during their search for new frameworks to address outstanding questions - theorists must tread with considered step through the jungle of bewilderment, guided mostly by hunches, inklings, clues and calculations. And as the majority of researchers have a tendency to cover their tracks, discoveries often bear little evidence of the arduous terrain that's been covered. But don't lose sight of the fact that nothing comes easily. Nature does not give up her secrets lightly."
(p471, The Fabric of the Cosmos, First Vintage 2005)
Video: The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space? | Watch NOVA Online | PBS Video
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