In Theory, Can We String the Universe Together?

(Source images: pixabay, Michigan State University and Technische Universität Wien).

Physics explains how our material Universe works. However, its theories do not currently form a satisfying whole. For example, the theory that describes the fundamental forces and building blocks of our physical world excludes gravity, and we do not comprehend how the Universe was born. As we naturally strive for things to be complete and make sense, we ask that our theoretical conjectures add up too, regardless of the scale we are dealing with.

For this reason, string theory has set the objective of integrating all the current explanations of how our Universe functions, from the very small to the very large, into one coherent Theory of Everything.

Yuval Noah Harari points out in his book ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind’ that unification is baked into human nature. Historically, he argues, it is the triad of capital, empires and religion that was the unifying driving force behind the global society that we see today. Is it then not only logical that we also pursue the quest of formulating a theory that puts all the physical mechanisms of our Universe under one roof?

But is this even a feasible and realistic goal?

What Is the Problem?

The fate of a Theory of Everything (TOE) lies in the hands of our ability to theoretically pull together all…