is physics sick？翻译、

Is Physics Sick?

[In Praise of Classical Physics]

Hisham B. Ghassib

Hisham Ghassib

ghassib@.jo

The Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT),

P.O.Box 1438, Al-Jubaiha 11941, Jordan ABSTRACT

In this paper, it is argued that theoretical physics (理论物理) is more akin to（近似于）an organism（生物体）than to a rigid structure （刚性结构）. It is in this sense that the epithet（绰号）, “sick”, applies to it.

在这篇论文中，作者认为理论物理与其说它像一种刚性结构倒不如说它像一种生物体更加确切。正是在这个意义上，“病人”这个绰号适用于它。

It is argued that classical physics is a model of a healthy science, and the degree of sickness of modern physics is measured accordingly. The malady（弊病）is located in the relationship between mathematics and physical meaning in physical theory.

我们讨论了经典物理学是一种健康的科学模型以及现代物理学弊病相应的测量水平。这种弊病是位于物理理论的数学运算与物理意义之间的关系中的。

Introduction

Increasingly, and as a concerned physicist（有关物理学家）delves deeper into（更深入地探讨）modern physical theory, and exerts a genuine effort to understand what is going on in theoretical physics, he or she cannot help thinking that something is deeply amiss（出差错）in modern physics; that it is afflicted（折磨）with some sort of a malady or sickness that could threaten its very credibility（可信度）. It is a feeling that could not be dispelled easily. One smells corruption（弊病）in the air of modern theoretical physics. But, of course, this feeling implies that theoretical physics is some sort of a socio--epistemological organism（社会认识论生物）. Are we justified-- logically, conceptually and historically-- in talking about physics in this strain, as though it were an organism?If so, where is the malady（弊病）located? In what sense is modern physics sick?And, what is the cure?

渐渐地，随着对现代物理学理论更为深入的探讨，只用了一晃眼的功夫，作为一个有关物理学家，我就明白了理论物理学发生了什么。任何人都不得不想到现代物理学出了些岔子。多少有些弊病会威胁到理论物理学的绝对可信度，这是一种折磨。这种感觉不是那么容易消除的。

有人感觉到了流传在现代理论物理中的弊病。但是，当然这种感觉意味着理论物理是某种社会认识论生物。我们是否有正当的理由在这些领域（逻辑上，概念上和历史上）讨论物理学，好像它是一个生物体？

如果是这样，那这个弊病位于哪里？现代物理学在何种意义上出现了问题？并且，治愈之策是什么？

In this paper, we argue that physical theory is indeed an organism -- a socio-epistemological organism -- that is born, and that lives, flourishes, and declines under various internal and external conditions. We, then, focus our attention on the relationship between mathematics and physical meaning in physical theory, and argue that classical physics is a paragon （完美之物）of health in this regard. In contrast, modern physical theory, particularly general relativity（广义相对论）and quantum mechanics（量子力学）, suffers from a serious disjuncture（分裂）between mathematics and physical meaning, which opens it to a barrage of absurdities（谬论）and pre-scientific（前科学）mystifications（神秘化）. This malady（弊病）is not showing any sign of abating. On the contrary, it is growing at an alarming rate, which threatens the efficacy and the very existence of theoretical physics as a rational enterprise. The paper ends with a note of warning to the theoretical physics community to ponder this malady and effect fundamental changes in their methodology before the situation gets out of hand (Lindley, 1994).

在这篇论文中，我们提出物理理论确实是一个生物体，一个社会认识论上的有机体，她出生、成长、繁荣，并且在内外条件下衰退。我们集中注意力于在物理理论方面数学运算和物理意义的关系，并且争论说就这一点而言经典物理学是一个健康的完美之物。相比之下，现代