scientificamerican | Most scientists would readily tell you that their discipline is—and
always has been—a collaborative, communal process. Nobody can
revolutionize a scientific field without first getting the critical
appraisal and eventual validation of their peers. Today this requirement
is performed through peer review—a process Wolfram’s critics say he has
circumvented with his announcement. “Certainly there’s no reason that
Wolfram and his colleagues should be able to bypass formal peer review,”
Mack says. “And they definitely have a much better chance of getting
useful feedback from the physics community if they publish their results
in a format we actually have the tools to deal with.”
Mack is not alone in her concerns. “It’s hard to expect physicists to
comb through hundreds of pages of a new theory out of the blue, with no
buildup in the form of papers, seminars and conference presentations,”
says Sean Carroll, a physicist at Caltech. “Personally, I feel it would
be more effective to write short papers addressing specific problems
with this kind of approach rather than proclaiming a breakthrough
without much vetting.”
So why did Wolfram announce his ideas this way? Why not go the
traditional route? “I don't really believe in anonymous peer review,” he
says. “I think it’s corrupt. It’s all a giant story of somewhat corrupt
gaming, I would say. I think it’s sort of inevitable that happens with
these very large systems. It’s a pity.”
So what are Wolfram’s goals? He says he wants the attention and
feedback of the physics community. But his unconventional
approach—soliciting public comments on an exceedingly long paper—almost
ensures it shall remain obscure. Wolfram says he wants physicists’
respect. The ones consulted for this story said gaining it would require
him to recognize and engage with the prior work of others in the
scientific community.
And when provided with some of the responses from other physicists
regarding his work, Wolfram is singularly unenthused. “I’m disappointed
by the naivete of the questions that you’re communicating,” he grumbles.
“I deserve better.”
