The Science of Can and Can't

March 22, 2021
Theoretical physicist Marletto takes a wide-ranging look at the “counterfactual properties” of science in her lyrical yet complex debut. Modern science focuses on physical reality, she writes, but counterfactuals are “about what is possible or impossible” and consider “what could or could not be.” She calls for physics to move beyond its dependence on such conditions and rules as Newton’s laws of motion, argues that the “traditional conception” of physics is limiting, and urges that counterfactuals offer a more complete picture of the physical world. Marletto leads a whirlwind tour of such scientific concepts as motion and the possibility of a perpetual motion machine; thermodynamics and “the theory of the universal constructor”; and quantum computing and the possibility of a universal quantum computer that uses “all of quantum theory.” References to Greek mythology, Shakespeare, chess, and Legos add life to her survey, though the dense, formal style makes some parts a challenge. Still, Marletto’s love of physics shines through: “Physics is a dazzling firework display; profound, beautiful, and illuminating.” Those with an interest in physics will appreciate her passion and her provocative approach. Agent: John Brockman.

April 15, 2021
British scientist Marletto begins a cerebral yet intellectually satisfying journey with a simple description of the two kinds of counterfactuals in physics, the possibility or the impossibility of "performing a transformation." Seemingly straightforward, rich insights drawn from counterfactuals ultimately chart "the territory beyond the boundary that has been currently set by the traditional conception of physics." Marletto examines theories of fallibilism, entanglement, reversibility, and interoperability and shows that, through a lens of prediction and possibility (not fact), new perspectives will propel physics forward, even possibly overcoming longstanding roadblocks, including those obstructing discovery of the enigmatic theory of everything. Throughout, Marletto's style resembles a frank conversation with the reader. Sophisticated concepts in physics, like information and knowledge, are explained using clear analogies to everyday life. But Marletto then draws on counterfactuals to challenge the very foundation of these concepts. Closing with insights into creativity and its origins, Marletto guides readers through information transfer and replication to perceive that ideas explored in the book itself and, for that matter, ideas explored in all books, may themselves be "entirely based on counterfactuals."

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May 1, 2021
An Italian physicist encourages a loosening of epistemological constraints to broaden our "what if" conjectures about the universe. The questions scientists ask about the nature of the universe tend to conform to the normal rules of logic rather than to outside-the-box speculations. Marletto argues that many advances in such varied topics as "natural selection, force fields, curved spacetime, quantum superposition, and the universality of computation" owe to counterfactual thinking. She offers the example of a future space mission whose astronauts leave a metal box on some distant planet containing a book of poems by William Blake. The fact is the box; another is the book. "That the words in it could be read is a counterfactual property," though, that hinges on whether the box is discovered and whether the finders can figure Blake out on the page. Marletto extends the example to examine how the laws of thermodynamics work and might work, how the laws of physics prevent a perpetual motion or time machine that might just come about if we figure out how to design new conditions in the "territory beyond the boundary that has been currently set by the traditional conception of physics." The impossible, writes the author, is impossible because our "initial conditions" make it so. Counterfactuals can be put to work dealing with more practical matters such as climate change if only our thought experiments are sufficiently flexible. The author turns to knowledge and information themselves as materials that might have physical properties. Marletto dances around her subject too often: The lead-up to a working definition of counterfactuality takes dozens of pages, and at the end of the book, many readers won't be entirely sure that they fully understand. Still, there's plenty of food for thought for those interested in the processes of conceptual breakthrough. A little advanced for casual readers without a background in physics, but adepts will enjoy Marletto's disquisitions.

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