Welcome, aficionados of Sociology and Anthropology.
Quoth Merriam-Webster:
- Sociology– the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships; specifically : the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings.
- Anthropology– the science of human beings; especially : the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture.
It seems to me that lots of parallels can be drawn between how Quantum Computing society and culture are developing and how the older, more mature (some would say senile) Particle Physics society and culture developed. It’s like two Shakespearean plays whose characters and plots bear a strong resemblance to each other, as if the bard of Avon were cribbing from his younger self because he had run out of ideas. Like a Dan Brown (Yuck!).
Let me explain with a picture:
Quantum Bayesian Networks 
History doesn’t so much repeat but rimes and so most tragedies repeat as farce.
Comment by Quax — February 13, 2014 @ 11:32 pm
I don’t know who should feel more insulted, Michio Kaku or Seth Lloyd.
Comment by Max Born — February 14, 2014 @ 5:27 pm
Max, I hope they are both insulted. As far as I’m concerned, they are both narcissistic, used-car salesmen.
Comment by rrtucci — February 14, 2014 @ 5:56 pm
Check out
According to this Nomura crack-pot, the following “equation” is true:
String Multiverse = Everett Quantum Many Worlds
I think that implies that
Particle Physics = Quantum Computing
so the two worlds in my picture are two indistinguishable particles, or two states in a quantum superposition, or something like that 🙂
Comment by rrtucci — February 14, 2014 @ 6:09 pm
I don’t understand Tipler in this diagram. I assume you mean the guy who thinks Jesus walked on water held up by a beam of neutrinos ?
Comment by wolfgang — February 16, 2014 @ 2:26 pm
Yes Wolfgang, that same Tipler. I just wanted to emphasize that Tegmark is not alone, that he is part of a long tradition of off-kilter physicists. Did you read my proposal to Scott, in his blog, that he start a company called BQP (British Quantum Petroleum)? I bet just the publicity it would bring to BP would be enough to warrant them investing $100 million in it. They are probably used to spending $100 million to bribe just the distant cousins of a dictator.
Comment by rrtucci — February 16, 2014 @ 3:41 pm