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"I dont think that any physicist would have been clever enough to have invented string theory on purpose... Luckily, it was invented by accident."
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Edward WittenEven before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th — Edward Witten
"Even before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th century, it turned out that the equations that really work in describing nature with the most generality and the greatest simplicity are very elegant and subtle."
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Edward Witten
Edward Witten
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Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist known for his contributions to string theory, topological quantum field theory, and various areas of mathematics. He is a professor emeritus in the school of natural sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Witten is a researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathemat
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"It is very possible that a proper understanding of string theory will make the space-time continuum melt away.... String theory is a miracle through and through."
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Edward WittenQuote
"String theory at its finest is, or should be, a new branch of geometry. ...I, myself, believe rather strongly that the proper setting for string theory will prove to be a suitable elaboration of the geometrical ideas upon which Einstein based general relativity."
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Edward WittenQuote
"String theory is extremely attractive because gravity is forced upon us. All known consistent string theories include gravity, so while gravity is impossible in quantum field theory as we have known it, it is obligatory in string theory."
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Edward WittenQuote
"Even though it is, properly speaking, a postprediction, in the sense that the experiment was made before the theory, the fact that gravity is a consequence of string theory, to me, is one of the greatest theoretical insights ever."
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Edward WittenQuote
"Vibrating strings in 10 dimensions is just a weird fact... An explanation of that weird fact would tell you why there are 10 dimensions in the first place."
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Edward Witten