arXiv
Why do I like Allen's paper? (link above):
When I was a graduate student, first I was very impressed with the Lagrangian approach to fundamental forces. If the force field is scalar, there you have it; if a four vector there. It was awesome. When I started to think about it, it became more and more fishy. Then I met that giant of twentieth century science: Julian Schwinger, with his "phenomenological" source theory. My skepticism grew. This is no darn Fundamental Theory. Then came Giorgio Parisi, and his Statistical Field Theory. Finally Mr. Allen is putting everything together.
What do we win?
Understanding.
I grant this much, we Schwingerians of this world, may all be wrong. There is a Fundamental Theory somewhere in the Sky, and we have to wait for the next Moses, to bring us, mere mortals, the Fundamental Set of Equations.
I lost my innocence. It will be clear minded people like Mr. Allen, and the likes of him, that call us to just do the best phenomenology we can make.
Waiting for Godot No More!
BTW: I'm again high on coffee.
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