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Prolegomena to any search principles for a Theory of Everything (TOR) Summary

Preprint · November 2021

DOI: 10.13640/RG.2.6.22659

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 Prolegomena to any search principles for a Theory of Everything (TOR)
Summary

Dan Serbanescu
Division of Logic and Models – CRIFST Romanian Academy

Preprint

DOI:10.13640/RG.2.6.22659

Physics is in a high conceptual turmoil, with many questions and conflictual experimental
results, with diverse approaches in a real model cavalcade, difficult to integrate one in another.
One fundamental question of this situation, which is of interest for this introspection is:

„How a Theory of Everything (TOR) would look like, if it exists at all, or at least which
would be the guiding principles of searching for it?”

In author’s view the approaches adopted so far have one of the following tendencies:

 They either look for a theory, able to be at least non contradictory to other theories,
so that to present solutions for existing paradoxes and contradictions
 Or, more ambitious, to generate a real innovative theory able to be a general envelope
of existing theories, which would become particular cases of it.
A few common features of both approaches diminish the confidence in finding a solution for this
search, if the process does not change.
The most important of those features would be in our view the following:

T1 The searches for TOR are organized and managed in a predominant unidisciplinary
manner, so that they are of some of the following types (to mention the most representative)
o Specific to physics phenomenological methods and approaches, some of which
have already got,unfortunatelly, a dogma character
o Specific to mathematics tools and models
o Use of artistic, intuitive tools, even including aestetics
o Return (as it happend many times so far in Physics history) to phylosophical
approaches
o Not mentioning of course the large amount of mythological models (in large
sense, including cultural heritage), usually avoided to be considered and/or not
mentioned in scientific approaches, even if may be many of the theories are
connected to them.
T2 Independent on how the approaches of T1 type are taking place, in academic or non
academic environments, in art / cultural productions, in public debates in mass media they
 have an aggresive tent, excluding usually any debate and/or other conflicting opinions,
being defended by:
o Scientific institutions and the media governed by them, adopting a
ultraconservatative attitude to novel approaches and in many cases having the
features of real scientific inquisitions
o Opinions expressed by individual scientists, experts formulating in a sacadate
manner theories for which no debate and /or challenge is expected to take place,
many times in a lack of scientific approach attitude and, unfortunatelly many
times even in a lack of minimal civilized dialog
o Persons with large audience to the public using intransigent and aggressive
approach in support of one approach or another, invading mass media with those
opinions and making the search superflu.

T3 Society in general, physicists in particular and all the other scientists from
connected to the topic domains, which would be able to contribute to a convergent
search for an answer are actually in the dilema of being affected by the following
extreme (to a theory) dangers

o Ignore really innovative ideas, as being too out of the mainstream search
o Promote totally fantasmagoric, by any criteria, theories/approaches

History of science and technology, including their applied branches has many
examples of embraced approaches by many people and for long time, which proved
to be wrong and misleading.

In this context some basic generic guiding principles for TOR search are proposed,
formulated in the manner to cope with the T1-T3 challenges, as follows:

P1 The solution for a convergent search of TOR is to be based on

multidisciplinarity, in a process that can be refined for instance by similitude
with existing particular cases identified before by the author.
P2 The decision on scientific validity of the solution is to be based on a
multifacet approach on knowledge and it is possible in an adapted
environment of the society, including scientific institutions, for the search of
this nature and this may lead to significant changes by comparison to the actual
situation
P3 It is neccessary to redefine the object and methods of such search , which
requires a new view on Physics and other sciences, as well as other knowledge
sources, so that the principles 1 and 2 above are considered

Details and examples of the implementation of such an approach are presented in previous works
and are included in an integrated manner in the extended paper.
 1. Dan ŞERBĂNESCU, Unele Aspecte ale Modelării în Fizică - Some Aspects of Modeling
in Physics
htps://www.researchgate.net/publication/324675197,https://www.researchgate.net/public
ation/32 1482420_Unele_aspecte_ale_modelarii_in_fizica_-
_Some_aspects_of_modeling_in_physics
2. Șerbănescu, D., Scientific Knowledge and Mythology, DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2447.7201
· SRA conference Boston, USA, Dec 2008
3. Șerbănescu, D., "An integrated perspective on knowledge and existence", Noema XVI,
iulie 2017, pp 185-216
4. Șerbănescu, D., Spiridon, L.V., Some Considerations on the Lessons Learnt from the
Cavalcade of Changes in Physics’ Models, DOI: 10.5772/65414, in “Proceedings of
the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies (ICIS 2016) -
Interdisciplinarity and Creativity in the Knowledge Society", book edited by
Valentina Mihaela Pomazan, ISBN 978-953-51-2768-0, Published: November 3, 2016
5. Dan Serbanescu Propaedeutics of the essay on Energy Systems and Challenges to them
Covid - a case study, DOI: 10.13240/RG.2.3.79959

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