1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 331: The master is beaten and the apprentice comes! Touching the porcelain of Guangxiang? Science is not the truth?
The meeting finally reached its climax.

Li Qiwei will face off against the bigwigs in various fields.

There is no limit to the questions or angles.

Even philosopher Russell's tricky and difficult questions were easily resolved.

Everyone knows that Bruce is not just a scientific talent who can only do research and publish papers, but also a person full of wisdom.

Science and wisdom are not the same word.

Wang Luyao and Xiang Lan sat in the crowd, watching Li Qiwei standing out from the crowd on the stage.

The pride in my heart is beyond words, and my eyes are almost tearing.

Boss Situ smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you have a really good vision."

"Brother Qiwei, you have found such an excellent man."

Wang Luyao was delighted when he heard this.

Chinese people abroad are all timid and submissive. Before they even open their mouths, their momentum weakens.

But her husband stood proudly in the European and American territory, crushing everyone else.

This scene made the educational delegation from China dumbfounded.

"My goodness, when did foreigners become so easy to talk to?"

"Aren't they all superior and too disdainful to talk to us?"

"How come you look so depressed when facing Principal Li?"

One of the middle-aged men sighed: "Hey, this is real strength."

"Only when you have extraordinary strength will others respect you."

"Our Four Books and Five Classics cannot produce guns and cannons, but foreigners' science can produce more advanced weapons."

"That's the gap."

"In a world where the strong prey on the weak, everything is false, and only strength is real."

Everyone around was filled with emotion and sadness.

But then, they looked excitedly at the dazzling man on the stage.

At least, there is hope.

Because that man is a pure Chinese man.

At this moment, everyone looked at Li Qiwei who was on the podium in front of them.

His 1.80-meter height did not seem small in the auditorium. Instead, he looked overwhelming and his aura of dominance enveloped the entire venue.

At this time, someone finally broke the pressure and stood up.

"Hello Professor Bruce, my name is Wittgenstein, and I am Professor Russell's student."

Wow!
The crowd suddenly became agitated.

Wittgenstein, who was in his twenties, was unknown at the moment.

But his question meant that the teacher had lost and the students were in power.

It was very interesting to the people present.

Usually the younger one gets beaten first, but I didn’t expect it to be the other way around today.

This young man looked quite extraordinary.

From Russell's approving eyes, we can see that in the world of philosophy, Wittgenstein is probably no less famous than Bohr.

Li Qiwei was also stunned.

The famous Wittgenstein.

In real history, it was said that even Russell could not understand this big man's doctoral thesis, and in the end he could only pass the defense.

Wittgenstein's life is full of legends and he was called by Russell "the most perfect example of a genius."

He is passionate, deep, fiery and dominant.

Wittgenstein also studied engineering and mathematics.

He has a strong knowledge of logic.

Most philosophers of this era would take a minor in mathematics in order to develop their logic.

Of course, specialized logic courses are also essential.

The logic here is not the kind of chicken soup-like brain teasers in later generations.

Rather, it is a highly professional academic book.

Specially designed to train people's thinking ability.

The reason why there are so many argumentative people in later generations is largely due to the lack of logic.

Ridgway searched for information in his mind and said with a smile: "Hello, Wittgenstein."

"Please tell me what you have in mind."

Although Wittgenstein was a novice, he was not at all stage-frightened.

His father was a steel tycoon and his mother was a banker's daughter and also a writer.

Hayek, Ridgeway’s favorite economist in his previous life, was the elder of Wittgenstein’s mother.

Therefore, with Wittgenstein's family background, he was able to remain quite calm even in such an occasion, or at least not be particularly nervous.

"Professor Bruce, I have a question about general relativity."

"You made a bold conjecture in general relativity that the essence of gravity is the curvature of space-time."

"So why can't we think the other way around? The curvature of space-time is actually caused by gravity."

"Gravity exists first, then gravity causes space-time to curve, and finally the curved space-time acts on objects."

Wow!
Wittgenstein's question surprised all the bigwigs present.

Even physics giants like Thomson and Planck thought this question was very profound.

This reminded them of the problem Bruce mentioned the day before.

Physicists still haven't figured out the nature of force.

The force that people talk about in daily life is more like a form of expression rather than the force itself.

But not many people have this kind of insight.

"This young man named Wittgenstein has something of his own. He may be a genius in the world of philosophy."

"What's rare is that he directly asked questions about general relativity itself. I'm afraid he has also been researching it privately."

"It would be difficult for a philosopher these days to get by without learning a little bit of natural science knowledge."

"The crude philosophical system of Aristotle's time is outdated."

"I've read Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and I feel like it's not something a human could have written."

Everyone was talking about it.

Today's meeting really lived up to its reputation and was of extremely high quality.

Let everyone present swim in the ocean of wisdom and enjoy the pleasure of human rationality.

After listening to Wittgenstein's question, Ridgeway smiled slightly.

As expected, he is worthy of being the future big boss. He was sharp enough when he was young.

Li Qiwei has been in this world for more than ten years.

I have met many big names who became famous in later generations.

He had to admit the fact that awesome people were already awesome when they were young.

There is no such person who is stupid when he is young and suddenly becomes smart when he gets old.

Perhaps the accumulation of experience leading to a sudden explosion is just a fantasy of those with mediocre talents.

The reason why the big guys give people the feeling that they have accumulated a lot of experience over time is because the career they are pursuing is too difficult.

It is so difficult that even with their intelligence and talent, it takes a long time to accumulate.

If it were an ordinary person, he would probably not be able to figure it out in several lifetimes.

I have to say, this is a cruel fact.

No wonder great scientists are so valuable.

Of course, Li Qiwei is now a super boss in the eyes of others.

Although Wittgenstein was very good, in his eyes, it was not good enough.

“Excellent question, Wittgenstein.”

"I have to say, Professor Russell has a good student."

"Your question is actually very easy to answer, but the meaning behind it is even more interesting."

"The reason why gravity and space-time cannot be reversed is because it is not mathematically feasible."

"If you look into my mathematical derivation, you should be able to see this."

"And according to this assumption, electromagnetic force will bring new problems."

"I deliberately used the concept of gravitational field in order to maintain the unity of electromagnetic force and gravitational force."

“It’s to put the two forces in the same position.”

"Because this is our deep understanding as physicists about the rules of the universe, that is, the world must be perfect."

"Your question reflects the difference between science and philosophy."

"It's like there is an apple, no matter how philosophers describe its shape, color, and projection."

"Neither of them truly reflects the essence of Apple."

"You can only understand this apple properly if you take a bite of it yourself, taste its flavor, and study its internal composition."

“That’s what we physicists do.”

boom!
Everyone was shocked by Li Qiwei's answer.

The words seem plain, but they contain wit.

Although many people present were confused by what they heard, they all felt it was powerful.

They vaguely felt something, but couldn't grasp it.

Philosophers in particular were extremely surprised.

Bruce is not only good at physics, but he also has such a deep understanding of philosophy.

Is this fucking human?

"Oh my god, what the hell is wrong with Bruce's brain?"

"Although he only mentioned it lightly, I could feel the depth of his words, just like the deep sea thousands of meters below the sea."

"This man is terrible."

Many physicists smiled knowingly, thinking that Bruce's words were too damaging. "Haha, Bruce's subtext is that philosophers are only good at empty talk, but they are dumbfounded when they really pick up a pen to calculate."

"Everyone can describe the truth with words. If you say it is white, I will say it is red."

"You can't refute me anyway, because I can always be logically consistent."

“No one knows the absolute truth about what color an apple is.”

“Then anyone can come up with a different opinion.”

"But we physicists are different. We take a bite directly, which is equivalent to using instruments to measure, and then we can see clearly."

At this moment, Wittgenstein was a little dumbfounded.

My question may seem clever, but it actually doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

It turns out Bruce has already tried it.

Unfortunately, although he is smart, he is still a long way from understanding the mathematical part of general relativity.

I want to refute but I don't know how to refute.

He didn't even know if what Li Qiwei said was true.

Maybe others just said it casually.
But Wittgenstein himself could not prove it.

Because I can't understand it.

This is also the reason why later generations of amateur scientists like to copy Newton's laws and the special theory of relativity.

It is obvious that general relativity is more famous, so why don't they overturn it?

Because that can only be learned in college, and high school knowledge is not enough.

At this moment, Wittgenstein was a little anxious.

After all, he was young and full of vigor, and suddenly, for some unknown reason, he questioned:
"Professor Bruce, do you mean that philosophy is not the real truth, only science is the truth?"

boom!
At this moment, the auditorium was in an uproar.

Everyone was shocked by Wittgenstein's questioning.

Even Russell was shocked and almost dropped the pipe in his hand.

This question is a bit hurtful.

"Young people are young people, they can't keep their cool. How can such an issue be discussed publicly?"

"If Bruce says yes, then he would offend all philosophy majors."

"But if he says no, then it would be inconsistent with what he just said."

"Anyway, this question is a bit too embarrassing."

As soon as Wittgenstein said this, he felt a little regretful and thought he was a little rash.

He was about to explain when Russell suddenly grabbed his hand and signaled him not to say anything.

At times like this, just let it go. The more you explain, the bigger the problem will become.

There was a sudden whisper on the scene.

Li Qiwei was also stunned. No wonder later generations described this big man as passionate and fiery.

This kind of personality is indeed self-willed.

But Li Qiwei really likes this kind of personality, which is very similar to him.

What a bullshit philosophy and science! Anything that is not allowed to be questioned is garbage.

Li Qiwei never cared about others questioning the theory of relativity. On the contrary, the more people questioned it, the happier he was.

Because as long as both sides are reasonable, you will definitely reach a consensus.

Because right and wrong are absolute.

Li Qiwei raised his right hand lightly, pressed the air, and said with a smile:

"Very good, this is what young people should be like. I like this kind of unabashed personality and fearlessness of authority."

"Wittgenstein, your question is very good."

"I know that in the field of philosophy, there are many insights into the truth, and there are countless books on the subject."

"But I want to talk about this issue from a physicist's perspective."

"I don't think relativity, or general relativity, is the truth."

boom!
The whole place was shocked.

No one expected Li Qiwei to say such a thing.

The general theory of relativity that shocked the whole world turned out not to be the truth.

Then what is the truth.

Even physics giants such as Thomson and Planck looked incredulous.

Aren’t they studying physics to get the truth?

Why did Bruce say that the theory of relativity is not true?

Then what theory in physics deserves the title of truth?

Everyone suppressed their shock and waited for Li Qiwei's next words.

Everyone believes that Bruce is definitely not a person who seeks to attract attention or belittles himself.

Facing everyone's doubts, Li Qiwei continued:
"The truth I'm talking about is the most essential purity of the universe, which doesn't necessarily have to be what we humans can understand."

“Whether it is science or philosophy, they are just a theoretical system for studying truth.”

“To put it simply, science is a means to pursue truth, not the truth itself.”

"Our world is colorful only because our eyes can only perceive images of visible light."

"If there were a creature that could see X-rays or microwaves beyond red light, then the world it saw would be completely different from ours."

"The world they see is bizarre in human eyes, and the same is true for our world in their eyes."

“Which world is the real one?”

"Of course, some people might say that no matter which world it is, it is always the human eye's reaction to electromagnetic waves."

“This truth is immutable.”

“That’s a correct idea.”

"But what is the nature of electromagnetic waves? At least we cannot figure it out for now."

"We can only describe the properties of electromagnetic waves in ways that we can understand."

"No one knows what the curvature of spacetime looks like for general relativity."

"But we can use mathematical tools to describe this property of space-time."

"But is this necessarily the nature of the universe?"

"I don't think so."

“Humans can only create theories that humans can understand.”

“Physics can only ever get infinitely close to the truth.”

"In a world with magic, studying the use and nature of magic is also science."

“The biggest pseudoscience is to believe that science is the truth and cannot be questioned.”

"I know there is a debate in philosophy about agnosticism and agnosticism."

"But I don't care."

“Even if we cannot see the whole truth, we should at least get a glimpse of its mysterious corner.”

"As a physicist, my goal is to reach the limits of what is humanly possible."

“Even if the end of science is still very far from the truth, I will still go on.”

At the end of his speech, Li Qiwei suddenly raised his right hand with a firm look, and he almost shouted loudly:
"Because I always believe in humanity and miracles."

“Though truth lasts forever, wisdom is infinite too!”

boom!
It was like a supernova explosion, and the light swept across the entire auditorium.

Everyone was shocked by Li Qiwei's arrogance and determination.

What kind of perseverance and passion is that?

The pursuit of pure science to the extreme.

Bruce is the leader, the seeker, the infinite!
"Oh my God, is this what Professor Bruce thought? No wonder he was able to publish the theory of general relativity."

"Based on this courage, he is the undisputed number one."

“He is rational and clearly knows the gap between humans and the truth; but he is also emotional. Even if there is nothingness ahead, he still wants to blaze a trail himself.”

“Although physics is only a theoretical system for studying truth, for human beings, it is truth.”

"The truth that Professor Bruce spoke of is the realm of the Creator."

"As long as there are countless great sages like Professor Bruce, I don't believe that mankind will never be able to uncover the mystery of truth."

The excitement and enthusiasm of the audience sounded like an explosion to Wittgenstein's ears.

A surge of blood rose in his heart.

"It turns out that Professor Bruce has never had any prejudice against philosophy."

"He just thought that science was closer to the truth than philosophy, so he chose science."

“Philosophy is humans’ interpretation of the universe and truth from another perspective.”

At this moment, Wittgenstein felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

At the same time, his admiration for Li Qiwei reached an unprecedented level.

There was fire dancing in his eyes.

This is the real top human being.

Wittgenstein never recognized others easily. Even many famous emperors and generals were just useless people in his eyes.

He doesn't like dealing with those people.

But Li Qiwei completely conquered him both spiritually and intellectually.

He smiled respectfully at Li Qiwei and sat down.

At this time, Li Qiwei suddenly smiled and said, "Of course, just because I said so much, it doesn't mean that I personally like philosophy."

"I still prefer physics a little more. I like doing labs and calculations, but I don't like debates."

what!
There was a burst of laughter in the auditorium.

Bruce always finds the right place to end with his humor.

Please welcome the next talented guy.

(End of this chapter)