Customer Reviews

Quantum Mechanics and Gravity (The Frontiers Collection)

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Great mathematical physics that for some unexplained reason are not mainstream are to be found in this superb book by Mendel Sachs. There are some great ideas: the primacy of field monism (unfortunately despite the reference to Aristotle, the author is unaware that the actual forerunner of field monism was the great, by all standards, Parmenides); general relativistic invariance and nonlinearity.

Some weak points: nonlinearity is promoted but in most cases approximated by linearizations; unified field theory
can not be thought of without a theory of matter; yet in the electromagnetic case the matter fields equations
do not follow from the authors unified theory (ie the Dirac equation is assumed rather than derived); there is
a blind spot in the quantum mechanics derivation from fundamental covariant theories having to do with the prediction of particle like solutions from the matter equations and other.

Overall, this is a GREAT book that unfortunately is too short for what it is trying to do; there was a need
for at least a 500 pgs book that could explain better the author's ideas. I personally think this
is fascinating material that although definitely incomplete and sketchy at points has a great virtue:
it is in the right direction putting the right things first. Unfortunately, a minority research program
that hopefully could become mainstream in the future.