Via 3 Quarks Daily comes this very interesting essay by Robert Laughlin (he of the strong anti quantum computing sentiment, none the less…) Here Laughlin lays out his main thesis,
I am increasingly persuaded that all physical law we know about has collective origins, not just some of it. In other words, the distinction between fundamental laws and the laws descending from them is a myth — as is therefore the idea of mastery of the universe through mathematics solely. Physical law cannot generally be anticipated by pure thought, but must be discovered experimentally, because control of nature is achieved only when nature allows this through a principle of organization.
from which he concludes that
To defend my assertion I must openly discuss some shocking ideas: the vacuum of space-time as “matter,” the possibility that relativity is not fundamental, the collective nature of computability, epistemological barriers to theoretical knowledge, similar barriers to experimental falsification, and the mythological nature of important parts of modern theoretical physics. The radicalness is, of course, partly a stage prop, for science, as an experimental undertaking, cannot be radical or conservative but only faithful to the facts. But these larger conceptual issues, which are not science at all but philosophy, are often what most interest us because they are what we call upon to weigh merit, write laws, and make choices in our lives.
I can understand all of his shocking ideas, except I have now clue what “the collective nature of computability” means. Anyone have a guess?