Abstract
The process of theory development in physics is a very complex one. The best scientists sometimes proceed on the basis of their physical intuition, ignoring serious conceptual or mathematical objections well known to them at the time.The results soon justify their actions: but the removal of these objections is often not possible for a very long time. Four examples are presented: Newton, Schrödinger, Dirac, Dyson. Some thoughts on this “unreasonableness≓ are offered.
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This paper is dedicated to Larry Horwitz, an old friend and colleague, and an excellent mathematical physicist. May his sixty-fifth birthday be followed by many more.
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Rohrlich, F. The unreasonable effectiveness of physical intuition: Success while ignoring objections. Found Phys 26, 1617–1626 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02282125
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02282125