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Bears Over Beers: Packers Preview, NFL Playoffs Outlook
The latest episode of @bearsoverbeers talks the Chicago Bears upcoming playoff game against the Packers!
Oberlander, Thomas leading DRVN Sports & Entertainment
Former ASM CCO Jason Oberlander will be chairman and is teaming with former ASM SVP Carl Thomas, who is CEO of DRVN Sports & Entertainment, a startup with sponsorship sales and consulting capabilities including third-party sales, sponsorship consulting and packaging.
Exclusive: Estée Lauder Companies Has Put Three Brands Up for Sale
The conglomerate is strategically shopping a cluster of its lines, including Too Faced, Smashbox and Dr. Jart in a package deal.
Packers vs. Bears prediction, odds: 2026 Wild Card Weekend NFL picks by proven model
SportsLine's model reveals its Green Bay vs. Chicago best bets for Saturday's Wild Card matchup
This is (almost) definitely Samsung's Galaxy S26 announcement date
All the confusion surrounding the next Unpacked event may have been cleared by the world's most reliable leaker.
Winter Olympics 2026: NBC says ads sold out with 'unprecedented demand'
The Olympics kick off a packed sports broadcasting schedule for NBCUniversal in February.
Bears favored at some sports books, Packers favored at others
Sports books are all over the map on who's favored in Saturday night's Packers-Bears playoff game.
Klipsch’s feature-packed range of powered speakers boasts precision engineering from Onkyo
Klipsch reveals The Fives II, The Sevens II and The Nines II
NFL playoff field, wild-card weekend schedule: Postseason bracket set, including Packers vs. Bears
George Conway, critical of Trump, enters crowded Democratic House primary
In an interview, the newly registered Democrat emphasized his opposition to the president, as he seeks to stand out in a packed open race in New York.
'Fans will not stand for this dire football all season'
Arne Slot's team are unbeaten in 10, with the most recent defeat coming back in November against PSV Eindhoven. On that night, Liverpool were humiliated 4-1 at Anfield and Slot clearly made a decision to go far more defensive - knowing any more losses could cost him his job. In this period, we have packed the midfield, making Curtis Jones a key player and - before he went to the Afcon - taking Mohamed Salah out of the team.
Heart health: Should you get your B12 from diet or supplements?
Vitamin B12 is a vital nutrient that plays numerous key roles in maintaining health. It is available in different forms and can be found in both food and supplements. A recent review suggests that the natural version could be more beneficial.
Science Escapes Largest Cuts in Latest Budget Bills
Today, top appropriators in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives released a three-bill appropriations package for fiscal year 2026 (FY26) that largely rejects drastic cuts to federal science budgets that President Trump proposed last year.
Lego’s Smart Brick Gives the Iconic Analog Toy a New Digital Brain
The new sensor-packed Smart Play Brick will land this spring as part of a special Star Wars collection. The update adds interactive lights and sound to the Lego experience—including the Minifigs.
Bring on the Packers
It’s time to see what these new-look Chicago Bears are really made of, so bring on the Packers says @kdthompson5
Bears Playoffs Sweepstakes by Advocate Health Care giving fans chance to win tickets to wild card game
Be part of the Bears' Good, Better, Best playoff journey! Enter the Bears Playoffs Sweepstakes by Advocate Health Care for a chance to cheer on the Bears live at Soldier Field in their wild card game Jan. 10 against the Packers!
Appropriations Committee Releases Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; Interior and Environment Funding Package | House Committee on Appropriations
Today, the House Appropriations Committee released text for the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment fiscal year 2026 funding package.
Ranking NFL wild card matchups, including Packers-Bears Round 3
How to watch every single playoff matchup next weekend, plus a watchability ranking for all six showdowns.
Elon Musk dines with Donald Trump during a packed weekend
Elon Musk joined Donald Trump for dinner during the weekend that the White House announced a US military operation in Venezuela.
Between The Lines: Vikings 16, Packers 3
Vikings Entertainment Network's Tatum Everett was joined by Ben Leber to break down the Vikings win over the Packers during Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season.
Packers passing game was historically bad in loss to Vikings
For the first time in almost 50 years, the Packers finished a regular season game with negative net passing yards.
Rapid reaction: Prioritizing health for playoffs, Packers now get ‘clean slate’
Last year’s Week 18 weighed heavily in decision-making process
This New Orleans doctor has spent a lifetime working to eliminate cardiology deserts in Louisiana. There’s still more to do.
In August of 2005, Ferdinand and his family packed up their bags and spent four years working in Atlanta, Georgia after Hurricane Katrina flooded their home and heart clinic. “I returned home to service my community,” Dr. Keith Ferdinand said.
A simple chemistry trick could end forever plastic
Seeing plastic trash while hiking inspired a Rutgers chemist to rethink why synthetic plastics last forever while natural polymers don’t. By mimicking tiny structural features used in DNA and proteins, researchers designed plastics that remain durable but can be triggered to fall apart naturally. The breakdown speed can be precisely tuned, from days to years, or switched on with light or simple chemical signals. The discovery could reshape everything from food packaging to medicine delivery.
LEAK: The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy is The Next Expansion Pack Title
All the rumors about the last Sims 4 Expansion Pack are coming true. The official title of the next, and alleged last Expansion Pack is The Sims 4 Royalty
Worlds Smallest Steam Machine Packs 32GB RAM & VRR
Build a tiny SteamOS Steam Machine rig powered by Ryzen 7840U and Radeon 780M, so you get steady 1080p play without thermal throttling.
‘Speaking the language of science’: Father Spitzer on Guadalupe tilma, Eucharistic miracles at SEEK
College students at SEEK 2026 packed a hall to hear Father Robert Spitzer, SJ, examine scientific research into Eucharistic miracles and the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Alleged First Look at The Sims Project X Character Design
The rumors about The Sims Project X keep spreading like wildfire. First we got some talks spreading that The Sims 4 will be getting its last Expansion Pack
Our Official Prediction for Vikings-Packers to Close Out 2025
The Minnesota Vikings’ season will end on Sunday, taking on the Green Bay Packers in a game that will resemble […]
Next stop: Minnesota
The Packers departed Green Bay's Austin Straubel International Airport on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, heading to Minnesota ahead of their Week 18 matchup against the Vikings.
Packers-Vikings Preview
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Justin Jefferson has hardly been admired more by the Minnesota Vikings than during this season of frustration for their once-potent offense, despite production by the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver that has lagged well behind his remarkable standard.
How to Watch Vikings vs. Packers: Time, TV Channel and Live Stream
Learn which TV channel or how to live stream the NFL Week 18 Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers game, Sunday, Jan. 4.
Asparagus fortune-teller predicts 2026 political 'carnage'
Jemima Packington says the world of politics is going "to be carnage" in 2026.
Packers make two more changes to practice squad on Thursday
The Packers made two more changes to the practice squad on Thursday, signing one player and placing another on injured reserve.
For this prominent Colorado Democrat, it’s family first — even amid big political disagreements
House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, is surrounded by conservatives at home
The year ahead in entertainment: What to look forward to in 2026
ABC News' Chris Connelly unpacks some of the exciting landmark events in entertainment on the docket for 2026.
Are you up for a savings challenge this year?
It’s 2026, and the new year brings us fresh hope. We’re packing our gym bags, pledging to be more present with our loved ones, and working to secure our financial health.
Packers make 7 more roster moves on Wednesday
On Tuesday, the Packers made 7 roster moves. On Wednesday, the Packers made 7 more roster moves.
I spent 77 hours traveling from California to DC by train. It was worth it, but there are things everyone should know before any long ride.
My four-day Amtrak ride from California to Washington, DC, taught me some great tips for long train rides, and I packed some smart essentials.
Packers vs. Vikings bold predictions for Week 18 clash
Packers and Vikings meet in season finale with nothing tangible on the line -- except an end to Green Bay's losing streak
Packers make 7 roster moves ahead of Week 18’s action
The Green Bay Packers still have an open roster spot on the 53-man roster and the practice squad.
Game of the Year 2025
We've approached DAY 3 of Giant Bomb's Game of the Year deliberations! We've got a PACKED AND STACKED day for you before we get to the Top 10. Today we discuss the Best Moment/Sequence, Boomer Game of the Year, Best Friendslop, Best Cat from CATS, and DISSAPPOINTMENT of the Year! Premium Timestamps: 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:36 Best Cat from Cats 0:06:48 Best Friendslop 0:18:15 Best New Website 0:19:19 Boomer Game of the Year 0:47:11 Disappointment of the Year 1:37:11 Best Comeback 1:51:28 Best Roguelike 2:18:28 Best Moment/Sequence 3:22:58 Winners Recap and Outro
From lawsuits to new laws, these Oregonians made biggest impacts on state politics in 2025
A roundup of Oregonians who played an outsized role in protests, policies and major tax cut and spending packages making headlines this year.
Colorado gets $200 million from the feds in rural health care “Hunger Games”
Colorado will receive $200 million in 2026 from the feds to improve rural health care, part of a fund created by the "big, beautiful" bill.
Games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch in 2026
Another year is on the horizon and it’s jam packed with games launching on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. There are new quests to fulfil, new wo...
Unforgettable performances: 2025 sports year in review of local athletes' amazing achievements | Los Gatan
As the calendar turns, it’s impossible to reflect on the past year without celebrating the remarkable memories created by the Los Gatos High School sports teams and the student-athletes. From Friday Night Lights to packed gyms and early-morning practices, individuals and teams delivered performances that went far beyond the scoreboard. There were unforgettable comebacks, record-setting […]
Ravens Week 17 postgame updates: injuries, quotes, and other notes
Updates and reactions from the Ravens’ Week 17 win over the Packers.
Wildfire Smoke May Be Far More Dangerous Than Scientists Thought
Wildfire smoke may be packing a much bigger pollution punch than anyone realized.
Holiday crowds pack AMC and ODEON cinemas as 5.5M people hit the movies
AMC says 5.5M guests visited globally, including 1.7M at ODEON, in one of 2025’s busiest weekends, with 50% ticket deals and Stranger Things fan events.
Rashan Gary’s production has been worse than you think
No one has had less production on more snaps than the Green Bay Packers’ Rashan Gary in 2025.
Packers Week 17 Winners and Losers vs. the Ravens
The best and worst from the Malik Willis show in the Green Bay Packers’ final home game of the season.
Packers pull off feat that no NFL team has ever done: Green Bay hits historical low
The Packer are officially on the wrong side of NFL history
5 instant takeaways from the Ravens’ win over the Packers
The Ravens steamrolled the Packers on Saturday night. Here are the top takeaways from the 41-24 win.
Ravens vs. Packers: Derrick Henry rushes for 4 TDs, keeps Baltimore's playoff hopes alive — 'It's one of the greatest performances I've ever seen'
4 Takeaways From the Ravens' Win Over the Packers
The Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Packers. Here are Ben Arthur's takeaways.
Ravens vs. Packers: Derrick Henry rushes for 4 TDs and Baltimore's playoff hopes stay alive; Green Bay's 41-24 defeat gives Chicago the NFC North title
Henry, who had a career-high 36 carries for 216 yards and four touchdowns. It was Henry’s seventh 200-yard rushing game, setting the NFL record that he had shared with Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson.
Ravens vs. Packers prediction, odds, time, spread: NFL Week 17 Saturday picks by proven model
SportsLine's model reveals its Green Bay vs. Baltimore best bets for Saturday's matchup
Saturday Football Week 17: Ravens at Packers
The Green Bay Packers are just 2.5-point road favorites over the Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 17.
NFL Week 17 Odds: How to Bet on Chargers vs Texans, Packers vs Ravens
NFL Week 17 Odds: How to Bet on Chargers vs Texans, Packers vs Ravens.
Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 17 vs. Ravens
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 17 showdown with the Ravens will go down.
Uniform matchup set for Packers-Ravens in primetime
What uniforms will the Packers and Ravens be wearing on Saturday night? Expect a good-looking primetime matchup.
NFL injury tracker: Latest news, fantasy implications for Week 17 as Jordan Love out for Packers, Lamar Jackson doubtful
Small Town Politics: WALB investigates allegations of election fraud; several South Georgia counties being investigated by the state elections board
Across South Georgia, small town politics can divide communities, neighborhoods, and even families. That’s why we are launching a new segment...Dedicated to uncovering and unpacking stories about local corruption, confusion, and conflicts. Beginning in the city of Nicholls where the November election led to a recount.
I backpacked across Europe for 2 weeks. Here are the best things I packed and the items I wished I'd left at home.
I spent two weeks traveling across Europe with just a backpack. I packed light enough to bring home souvenirs.
NFL injury tracker: Latest news, fantasy implications for Week 17 as Lamar Jackson listed as doubtful vs. Packers
NFL Week 17 picks, odds, best bets, predictions: Packers run past Ravens
Jordan Dajani gives his picks for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season
Sports centre project gets £5m funding package
The new leisure centre will meet surging demand and should cater for up to 800 members.
Eating more vitamin C can physically change your skin
Vitamin C doesn’t just belong in skincare products—it works even better when you eat it. Scientists discovered that vitamin C from food travels through the bloodstream into every layer of the skin, boosting collagen and skin renewal. People who ate two vitamin C–packed kiwifruit daily showed thicker, healthier skin. The findings suggest glowing skin really does start from within.
Packers clinch NFL playoff spot as Lions lose to Vikings
The Green Bay Packers advanced to the NFL playoffs on Thursday without stepping onto the field, clinching a post-season berth when the Detroit Lions lost 23-10 at Minnesota.AFC teams that have clinched post-season berths are dDenver, New England, Denver, Buffalo, Jacksonville and Los Angeles Chargers.
What is the Upside Down? 'Stranger Things 5' finally answers series-long mystery
What is the Upside Down? 'Stranger Things 5' gives us an answer, and series creators Matt and Ross Duffer are here to unpack it all.
Lamar Jackson doubtful for Saturday's critical Packers-Ravens game; Jordan Love, Malik Willis both questionable
There's more bad news for a Baltimore Ravens team that's fighting for its playoff life.
Final Benchmarks Of AMDVLK vs. RADV AMD Radeon Vulkan Drivers
One of the pleasant surprises this year was AMD ending the AMDVLK driver development with AMD dropping their proprietary OpenGL and Vulkan driver components on Linux at long last for their Radeon Software for Linux packages.
Oceans are supercharging hurricanes past Category 5
Deep ocean hot spots packed with heat are making the strongest hurricanes and typhoons more likely—and more dangerous. These regions, especially near the Philippines and the Caribbean, are expanding as climate change warms ocean waters far below the surface. As a result, storms powerful enough to exceed Category 5 are appearing more often, with over half occurring in just the past decade. Researchers say recognizing a new “Category 6” could improve public awareness and disaster planning.
Faith, science give ex-Packers trainer Pepper Burruss new life
Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers trainer Pepper Burruss needed a liver transplant. Faith and medicine helped him win the biggest battle of his life.
Holiday barks sold at Aldi recalled over potential undeclared pecans, wheat: FDA
Silvestri Sweets recalled Choceur-branded holiday bark sold at Aldi stores after a packaging mix-up led to undeclared allergens in the popular treats.
Bears merch flying off the shelves at sports collectible shops ahead of playoffs
Since the team’s victory against the Green Bay Packers, player jerseys and other Bears merchandise have been the top sellers for Chicago retailers.
Yahoo Fantasy x Arena Club Slab Packs Week 17 Drop — Joe Burrow Color Blast among chase cards
Yahoo and Arena Club are back with slab packs featuring some of last week’s top fantasy football performers.
Richmond Buzz: An 'absolutely brutal' blackout weekend
“Richmond Buzz” will be a recurring column on the neighborhood. This edition: Businesses are devastated after the weekend blackout.
Snadragon X Elite Laptop Performance On Linux Ends 2025 Disappointing
As part of my various end-of-year benchmarking comparison articles for looking at the performance evolution of Linux is a fresh look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite laptop experience when using Ubuntu 25.10 with the latest X1E Concept packages, which includes taking the X1 Elite optimized kernel to the latest Linux 6.18 stable series.
Taiwan is getting plenty of missiles and drones from the US. A top business leader says the arsenal is out of balance.
Recent US weapons packages to Taiwan have largely been asymmetric capabilities, but Taiwan needs more advanced systems as well, an official said.
Health insurance sign-ups in Colorado are running even with last year, despite loss of big federal subsidies
Sign-ups through the Connect for Health Colorado insurance exchange are just slightly ahead of last year's pace, despite expiring subsidies.
Central Wisconsin officials earn Packers, WIAA November honors
Stratford and Stevens Point officials lead a group honored by Green Bay Packers and WIAA as November’s high school football crew of the month.
Richmond startup Ohm Health launches first product: a humming, glowing "breathing lamp"
The company, founded by Temperpack cofounder James McGoff, recently began taking pre-orders for its “breathing lamp,” which allows customers to practice breathing in rhythm with the hum and glow of the light.
Has Fox’s 2025 Surge and Sports Focus Already Been Priced In?
Wondering if Fox is still a buy after its big run, or if the easy money has already been made? You are not alone, and that is exactly what we are going to unpack here. The stock has been on a tear, climbing 4.8% over the last week, 12.2% over the past month, and 50.5% year to date, with multi year returns of 150.6% over 3 years and 171.1% over 5 years reshaping investor expectations. Behind those gains, investors have been reacting to Fox's strategic push into live sports and news...
Packers’ QB situation still up in the air, but with positive signs
Plus other health updates as Ravens game approaches
The best DirecTV deals: Save on entertainment, sports, news, and more
The best DirecTV deals offer discounts on everything from budget genre packs to pricier signature plans.
Ikea has made some of its Matter-compatible smart home devices even cheaper.
As the cost of some electronics continues to skyrocket, Ikea has dropped the price of several of its new smart home accessories. The Myggspray motion and Klippbok water sensors are now down to $7.99 from $9.99, and while the three-pack of the colorful two-button Bilresa remotes launched in the US for $19.99, they’re now $14.99. [Image: Two of Ikea’s new Matter-compatible smart home sensors and its two-button remote are now cheaper in the US. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/ikea_matter.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
Nine mental-health tips for a happier 2026
Regardless of any resolutions you may have for 2026, one thing is for sure: Everyone wants to have a happy new year.While losing weight or saving money may be great goals, the most straightforward path to happiness is caring for your mental and emotional health. A robust body of research shows that simple cognitive and behavioral strategies can reliably boost happiness and reduce stress – and they’re generally free and accessible to all.These strategies don’t have to be super time-consuming, but they do require intention: They only work if you do them.Here, psychologist Valentina Ogaryan, PhD, clinical director of the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, shares her top tips for cultivating more calm, centeredness and happiness in the new year (or anytime):Make time for playPlay isn’t just for kids, and it’s far from frivolous. The National Institute for Play says engaging in silliness, fun and just-for-pleasure activities reduces stress and increases optimism and resilience. A recent review also found that play improves mental health.“Adults can benefit from play as much as children,” Dr. Ogaryan says, “not just as a reward, but something that helps regulate.”So go ahead and dance with your dog, build something with Legos, tell a joke, sing karaoke or do anything else that feels like fun. Don’t worry about being productive, just enjoy yourself. And, if you can, opt for more analog play, Dr. Ogaryan suggests, as a respite from our ever-more-digital world. Move your bodyWhether you dance, ski, do yoga, play pickleball, ride a bike, roller-skate, hike or lift weights, physical movement benefits overall happiness and well-being. A 2018 review study of more than 1.2 million adults in the U.S. found that doing any kind of exercise was “significantly and meaningfully associated” with better self-reported mental health.The sweet spot was 45 minutes of movement three to five times a week, but even short bursts of physical activity can boost brain health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“Movement helps support mood and regulate the nervous system,” Dr. Ogaryan says.Plus: exercise can improve sleep quality, and sleep is essential for mental health.Prioritize sleep“Sleep plays a major role in managing stress,” Dr. Ogaryan says. Research shows that lack of sufficient sleep increases the risk of various diseases, including depression.While stress can interfere with sleep, practicing good sleep hygiene can make logging ZZ’s easier. That means maintaining a consistent bedtime; keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet; and avoiding social media, news and stimulating shows before bed.Consume lessWe live in a consumer culture, inundated by endless streams of content and advertising everywhere we go, which makes it easy to get overstimulated.“Something really helpful for stress reduction is to simply consume less,” Dr. Ogaryan says – less news, less social media, less information, less noise, less screen time. “It’s about reducing the input,” she says.Consider setting a maximum number of news articles per day, for example, or a time limit on scrolling. Maybe even go device free for an afternoon or a whole day.Practice present-moment awarenessWith so much coming at us all the time, focusing on the here and now can make life feel more manageable, Dr. Ogaryan says: “When everything feels super overwhelming, when everything feels larger than life, let’s make our world a little bit smaller for that moment in time.”She suggests taking things one day, or even one hour, at a time. Ask yourself: What’s my next right action? Release the need to know how everything turns out and liberate yourself from having to handle everything right now. Let the future take care of itself and just focus on the current moment. Then the next one. Have a daily anchorFrom work to the daily commute to family and life responsibilities, our days can feel jam-packed. Dr. Ogaryan recommends creating a centering daily anchor that can fit into even the busiest day.Maybe it’s a 10-minute walk during your lunch break or mindfully enjoying your coffee in the morning. Let your anchor adapt to your needs each day, she says, but be intentional about using that time to ground yourself and calm your nervous system. You might even say to yourself, “I choose this walk to help me become centered,” or “My day already feels stressful, so I’m going to take the next 10 minutes to enjoy this cup of coffee, feel the warm mug in my hand and just be present.” Having an anchor won’t erase the busy-ness from your day, but it will allow you to approach it more calmly.Be kind to yourselfMost of us have a harsh inner critic in our heads who works overtime. But that critical voice only increases our stress, triggering the same fight-or-flight response as caustic words from another person.To feel happier, we need to replace that inner critic with a kinder, more compassionate voice, Dr. Ogaryan says. Studies show that self-compassion is a source of eudaimonic happiness – the kind of happiness associated with purpose and meaning in life.While our knee-jerk reaction may be to self-criticize – “How could you let it get to this point? You didn’t manage your time well and now the project is going to be late. You’re so inept.” – we fare better mentally by treating ourselves with kindness, like we would a friend. That might sound like, “You’ve got a lot on your plate, but you are capable and you’ll get it done. I believe in you.”We may think that speaking kindly to ourselves means letting ourselves off the hook, so we end up becoming lazy do-nothings. But research shows the opposite: People who are self-compassionate are more likely to try harder in the face of failure and ultimately reach their goals.You can thank your inner critic for its good intentions, but resolve to talk to yourself in a kind, compassionate voice.Connect with othersHumans are social animals built for connection. Stress can be isolating and cause us to withdraw, but connecting with others is a salve for the psyche, Dr. Ogaryan says.“We know that not all relationships are always easy, but if we can think about intentional, nourishing connection – even in really small doses – it could really help center us,” she says.Take a moment to laugh with your colleagues, hug your pet, have a conversation with a friend or smile at the barista making your coffee. A study found that even tiny interactions with casual acquaintances and strangers decreases loneliness and improves happiness and well-being.Seek supportIf you try these practices and happiness remains elusive, or if you can’t access the wherewithal to follow these tips, seek support from your physician or a therapist. Mental health conditions are among the most common health issues in the U.S. and around the world – more prevalent than diabetes or heart disease. One in five people in the U.S. experiences a mental illness each year, with depression and anxiety the most common, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.“We can all think about these tips,” Dr. Ogaryan says. “But it’s important to recognize if you’ve done everything you can and you’re still really struggling, it’s really important to seek help.”
The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug
Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.
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