The column is titled “Why the Laws of Physics Don’t Really Exist.” The author explained that what we call the laws of physics are often just a mathematical description of some part of nature. This is as true of Newton’s laws of motion as it is of Einstein’s theories of relativity, Schrödinger’s and Dirac’s equations, and so on. These are not laws in themselves, but precise and coherent ways of describing the reality we see. This should be evident from the fact that these laws are not static: they evolve as our empirical knowledge of the universe accumulates.
Sarma also noted that there are approximately 86 billion neurons in the human brain. This is less than the number of stars in the Milky Way, which is only a small part of the known Universe. The universe seems nearly infinite compared to the finite capacity of the human brain, leaving us with perhaps little chance of finding out all about it.
“As we learn more about nature, we can refine our descriptions of it, but it never ends. It’s like peeling an infinite onion. The more we peel, the more there is to peel,” Sarma summarized.
