,:Y ,PHYSICS 

,PEOPLE 3 

,AU?OR 3 ,WILLIAM ,GILLIS 

,TEXT 3 

,AT SOME PO9T MY FRI5DS EV5TUALLY FEEL COMPELL$ TO ASK ME :Y1 AS AN AN>*I/1 ,I W\LD WANT TO WORK AS A !ORETICAL PHYSICI/--RA!R ?AN SAY AN ,A,I RESE>*] OR A G5ETICI/ OR A CRYPTOGRAPH] OR A MAT]IALS SCI5TI/ OR A RE/ORATION ECOLOGI/4 ,?OSE >E CLE>LY HI<-IMPACT PR(ESSIONS2 DEVELOPM5TS 9 !SE FIELDS CAN RE%APE ! WORLD1 & !RE IS DESP]ATE NE$ = MORE PEOPLE TO WORK 9 !M4 

,! ANSW] IS SIMPLE3 ,I WANT TO MAKE SURE ,I'M RI<T4 

,I'M REALLY CONC]N$ ?AT ,I MI<T BE WRONG 9 SOME DEEP WAY ?AT MATT]S4 ,9 A WAY ?AT 5DS UP HURT+ PEOPLE OR HAV+ A NEGATIVE EFFECT ,I NEV] PR$ICT$1 OR GO+ AGA9/ AN UNKN[N BUT BETT] DESIRE ?AT ,I MI<T'VE O!RWISE DEVELOP$4 ,I C\LD NEV] JU/ P]MAN5TLY LOCK MYSELF 9TO SOME R&OM PROJECT BECAUSE IT SEEM$ LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT ! TIME4 ,I'M A DUE-DILIG5CE K9DA P]SON4 ,PRIOR TO BE+ AN AN>*I/1 PRIOR TO WANT+ TO *ANGE ! WORLD 9 ANY P>TICUL> DIRECTION1 ,I AM A RADICAL4 ,& SO MY FIR/ ALLEGIANCE IS MAK+ SURE ,I REALLY AM GRASP+ AT ! ROOTS4 ,?AT MY VALUES1 DESIRES & ! /RATEGIES ,I MI<T *OOSE >5'T PR$ICAT$ ON A MI/AK5 IMPRESSION ( ! WORLD 9 SOME DEEP WAY4 

,A T]M ?AT SOME ,A,I RESE>*]S HAVE ADOPT$ IS ! 0ONTOLOGICAL UPDATE PROBLEM0 & ,I ?9K ?AT PHRASE CAPTURES IT P]FECTLY4 ,Y\R GOALS >E ONLY EV] EXPRESSIBLE 9 T]MS ( ! MAP ( ! WORLD Y\ C>RY 9 Y\R HEAD1 & IF ?AT MAP IS REVEAL$ AS POORLY MAT*+ ! ACTUAL WORLD Y\ >E NEV] 5TIRELY CLE> ON H[ TO PROCE$4 ,IT MAY WELL BE ?AT ! WORLD IS NO?+ LIKE Y\ ?\<T1 ?AT ! ?+S Y\ TAKE TO BE CRY/AL CLE> >E 9 FACT ABSURDLY MURKY1 & ! MURKY CLE>4 ,IT MAY BE ?AT :AT Y\ ?\<T P]FECTLY ACTIONABLE IS 9 FACT NOT JU/ IMPOSSIBLE BUT 9COH]5T4 ,\R PICTURE ( ! WORLD1 ( H[ IT WORKS & :AT IS POSSIBLE1 DET]M9ES :AT VALUES WE GRAVITATE T[>DS1 IT DET]M9ES :O WE >E4 ,TO GIVE UP ON SE>*+ = A BETT] MAP ( ! WORLD IS TO GIVE UP ON IMPROV+ Y\RSELF4 

,I C\LD NEV] EXCLUSIVELY D$ICATE MY LIFE TO WORK+ ON SOME R&OM TOOL OR CAMPAIGN1 NO MATT] H[ SEEM+LY COMMONS5SICAL OR C]TA9 ! ISSUE4 ,ALWAYS AT ! BACK ( MY HEAD W\LD BE SCRAT*+ A RU?LESS UNC]TA9TY4 ,! 9FURIAT+ & UNREL5T+ KN[L$GE ?AT ! COMMITM5TS ( MY LIFE W]E AN ALREADY-MADE GAMBLE4 ,I W\LD BE HAUNT$ BY ! NOTION ?AT IF ,I REVISIT$ ?AT GAMBLE & ?\<T AB\T MY *OICE FUR!R ,I MI<T EVALUATE ?+S DIFF]5TLY4 ,I W\LD FEEL IMPRISON$ BY ! HAV+ SUNK TOO MU* 9TO 5ACT+ A PLAN ( ACTION1 9CAPABLE ( REVIS+ OR UPDAT+ ! HA/Y ASSUMPTIONS & FIR/ IMPRESSIONS ?AT L$ TO ?IS AV5UE4 

,!RE >E1 ( C\RSE1 PRACTICALLY 9F9ITE ?+S TO D\BT1 TO *ECK1 TO REEVALUATE1 TO CONT9UALLY PROBE JU/ TO BE A VIGILANT HUMAN BE+4 ,Y\ WILL NEV] HIT !M ALL UP4 ,BUT SOME ISSUES >E DEEP] ?AN O!RS1 SOME F> MORE SWEEP+ 9 !IR CONSEQU5CE4 

,:AT IF EV]Y?+ WE ?9K WE KN[ AB\T TIME OR CAUSALITY IS WRONG8 ,:AT IF EV]Y?+ WE ?9K WE KN[ AB\T COMPLEXITY1 AB\T CONSCI\SNESS1 AB\T 5]GY1 AB\T ! V]Y P>AMET]S ?AT SO CLOSELY GUIDE & F5CE 9 :AT WE CONSID] TO BE POSSIBLE1 >E WRONG8 ,H[ WILL ! UNIV]SE 5D8 ,:AT >E ! BASIC P>AMET]S ?AT CON/RA9 ALL POSSIBILITIES8 ,:AT DOES IT MEAN TO SPEAK ( 0CONSEQU5CE0 9 AN 9F9ITE MULTIV]SE ( A C]TA9 TYPE8 ,IS !RE A DIFF]5CE BETWE5 LIFE & NON-LIFE8 ,ETC4 ,ETC4 ,ETC4 ,SOMETIMES HUGE RAMIFICATIONS SPIRAL \T FROM EV5 ! MO/ ESOT]IC ( MA!MATICAL QUE/IONS4 

,PHILOSOPHY CAN MAP \T A GREAT MANY FUNDAM5TAL QUE/IONS & DEP5D5CIES1 BUT IT CAN (T5 ONLY GO SO F> & IS QUICKLY EXHAU/$4 ,!ORETICAL PHYSICS IS ! FIR/ PLACE WE />T TO DRAW HESITANT ANSW]S1 :]E A /RAY 9SI<T C\LD *ANGE EV]Y?+4 ,I CANNOT IMAG9E A WORLD :]E ,I AM NOT DRAWN TO IT LIKE A LODE/ONE4 ,:]E ! LATE/ BIG PAP] ON ,AD,S_/,C,F,T DOESN'T PULL AT ME ) A RAW NAGG+ HUNG]4 ,I AM FASC9AT$ BY EV]Y?+4 ,9 EV]Y SUBJECT ,I FEEL A NE$L+ PULL TO EXPLORE1 TO *ECK >\ND EV]Y CORN] = ANO!R UN=ESE5 CATACLYSMIC 9SI<T OR J>R+LY MISS$ PIECE1 = JU/ A LITTLE MORE ( A MAP4 ,BUT PHYSICS IS ! FRONTI]1 ! 9ESCAPABLE ROOT4 

,IT IS ALSO1 ( C\RSE1 UTT]LY BEAUTIFUL1 FULL ( WONDR\S EXP]I5CES ?AT ALMO/ CANNOT BE DESCRIB$ OR COMP>$1 GRANT+ P]SPECTIVES ?AT REVEAL 5TIRELY NEW COLORS AT PLAY 9 ! WORLD4 ,! QUALIA ( PHYSICS & MA?1 ! RI*NESS1 ! CRY/AL CL>ITY1 ! COMPLEX HUMOR ( SOMEONE'S PRO(1 ! OV]:ELM+ RESONANCE ( ! REVEAL$ RELATIONS & !IR POT5CY AT FUR!R EXPLORATION MAKE SAD JOKES ( ALL ! *EAP FRAGM5T>Y POETIC OR NEURAL ASSOCIATIONS ONE CAN MOM5T>ILY G>N] & P]HAPS /RUGGLE TO HOLD ONTO FROM DRUGS & RELIGIONS4 ,TRY+ TO EXPLA9 ?IS K9D ( EXP]I5TIAL DEP? TO ?OSE :O HAVE NEV] EV5 GLIMPS$ MA!MATICS BEYOND >I?METIC ISN'T LIKE EXPLA9+ SEX TO A PRES*OOL]1 IT'S LIKE TRY+ TO EXPLA9 ! SUBJECTIVITY ( O!R 9DIVIDUALS' KN[L$GE TO A TODDL] OR SELF-AW>5ESS TO AN NEWBORN4 ,! DOORS IT OP5S TO EXP]I5C+ REALITY & ! REM>KABLE SOLIDITY ( ! :OLE AFFAIR >E NOT EV5 FA?OMABLE BE=EH&4 ,ONCE Y\ TA/E ?IS1 ONCE Y\ REMEMB] :AT SU* WORLD-%ATT]+ & !N WORLD-EXPANSION FEELS LIKE1 :5 Y\ REALIZE ?AT !RE C\LD /ILL BE YET MORE ( !M AHEAD444 !RE IS NO IGNOR+ IT EV] AGA94 

,PHYSICS IS :]E ,I F9ALLY FULLY SATIATE MY YE>N+ HUMILITY1 & MY DESP]ATE NE$ TO NEV] GIVE UP MY AG5CY 9 SOME FOOLH>DY OR NAIVE GAMBLE4 ,I AM NOT A PHYSICI/ BECAUSE ,I'M AN AN>*I/--BECAUSE ,I WANT TO MAKE ! WORLD A BETT] PLACE--IF IT WAS ONLY SO ,I MI<T 9/EAD BE CONT5T TO BUILD *EAP] SOL> PANELS OR EV5 TRA9 AS A SNIP]4 ,I AM A PHYSICI/ BECAUSE BE=E ANY ( ?AT ,I C>E AB\T GETT+ ?+S RI<T4 ,BECAUSE ,I AM A RADICAL4 ,UNLIMIT$ 9 AUDACITY :ILE DRIV5 BY AN 9F9ITE HUMILITY ?AT REFUSES TO TAKE ANY?+ = GRANT$4 

,I AM DRAWN TO !ORETICAL PHYSICS BECAUSE ,I WANT TO REMA9 ALIVE4 ,I DON'T WANT TO LET ! DEA? TO CREEP 9 ANY:]E1 ,I DON'T WANT TO LET EV5 JU/ ONE T9Y P>T ( ME P]MAN5TLY SURR5D] TO ! PUTRID ROT ( 0GOOD 5\<04 

,& ,I SUSPECT ,I W\LD BE LESS CAPABLE AT FI<T+ = A BETT] WORLD IF ,I WAS ANY O!R SORT ( P]SON4 

,SORRY1 IS ?AT TOO MU* TO /ICK 9 A ,/ATEM5T ( ,PURPOSE8 

,FROM 3 ,!,AN>*I/,LIBR>Y4ORG4 

,*RONOLOGY 3 
,JANU>Y #b#b1 #bba 3 ,:Y ,PHYSICS -- ,ADD$4 
,JANU>Y #f1 #bbb 3 ,:Y ,PHYSICS -- ,UPDAT$4 

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