De Novo

[Dante’s] Paradisio Canto 31 (a view of God, the source of Light) by Gustav Doré.

A 2-dimensional projection of an 8-dimensional representation of E8, an 248-dimensional mathematical structure of “extreme symmetry” proposed by physicist Garrett Lisi’s Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything as describing all fundamental interactions in physics.  See Lisi’s TED talk.

A fascinating discussion is occurring in the theoretical physics realm in the pursuit of a “theory of everything”.  The main rival of Lisi’s theory, string theory, is also very much in theoretical stages, and is considerably more baroque in its explanations, theoretical implications, and mathematics.  Among the heated partisan debates within the physics community, I admire Lisi’s stance: “I think scientists should be able to weigh the pros and cons of different theoretical models for themselves and follow what interests them, without pressure in one direction or another… I welcome criticism and skepticism, and I encourage people to look through the mathematics for themselves.”  He seems to embrace the possibility that he may be proven wrong, which is the healthy way to practice science.  And even if he is wrong, we’re still left with the beautiful E8 Lie group, which existed before Lisi’s theory and exhibits some extraordinary properties in its own right.