like we Nexians didn't already know this:
it's so simple

I'm absolutely obsessed with theoretical physics and the like lately. Brane worlds, string theory, multiverse, etc.

I think why I really disliked science when I was in school was because it was presented in such a rigid and unflinching way. You must not theorize, everything has to be proven. At least that's how my teachers were. I remember actually getting angry with my grade ten science teacher when he wouldn't admit that the universe could have been created by something other than the big bang. He just would not even accept the possibility. Funnily enough, I went to a Catholic high school

A lot of my schooling was like wading through a sea of close-mindedness and hypocrisy.

This makes me feel weird: the idea that our entire universe is just a black hole in some larger, higher-dimensional universe is fascinating but uncomfortable.

It makes the universe feel very small, for some reason.

Blessings
~ND

That was awesome and quite possibly true I imagine. Big-Bang theory has never quite sat with me anyway. Thanks.

String theory is the butt of many jokes among some physicists. It's unanimously seen as a beautiful theory, but theory is nothing without experimental verification, which is of ultimate importance in physics. Even a string theorist would tell you that.

The physics principles that are most rigid are the ones that have proven most effective. At the end of the day, they're all just models. They are not meant to be "real" or "true". If the 4D black hole model makes original predictions that are verified by experiment, then it will become the mainstream theory. Otherwise, what is the point? There are an infinite number of potential models that are beautiful and elegant and could be used to describe reality. There has to be some criteria for which model we agree on, and that criteria is predictive ability.