The semiotics of "postmodern" physics
pp. 211-229
in: Massimo Ferrari, Ion-Olimpiu Stamatescu (eds), Symbol and physical knowledge, Berlin, Springer, 2002Abstract
Where does modern physics end? Where does postmodern physics start? The adjective "postmodern" has very special connotations of a new age, different from the previous modern age. Indeed the opinion is expressed that modern physics characterized by the emergence of quantum mechanics and its application to all aspects of microscopic phenomena may be terminating. J. Horgan has given an account of this endzeit in his recent book The End of Science (Horgan, 1996) . He describes his encounters with great physicists of our times, who give evidence for his hypothesis: "If one believes in science, one must accept the possibility—even the probability that the great era of scientific discovery is over. By science I mean not applied science, but science at its purest and grandest, the primordial human quest to understand the universe and our place in it. Further research may yield no more great revelations or revolutions, but only incremental, diminishing returns."