Before I start my cheerleading routines in support of quantum field theory, gauge invariance, renormalization, virtual particles and all that, I want to mention a note I wrote that I found a few days ago stuck in Steven Weinberg's book The Quantum Theory of Fields, Vol. I, published in 1997. (There are three volumes, of which I only have the first.) The note begins with a quote from the book, related to Richard Feynman's formulation of quantum field theory: "... the nature of the infinities becomes transparent." After I'd copied that on the slip of paper, I wrote this comment: "Heehaw! Can't see it, then! Blinded by Feynman. Oh envy, thou are art."
There's never been any doubt in my mind that envy and wanting to be the one who corrects the errors of the late 20th century quantum theorists are reasons I do physics research. But the main reason is an inborn curiosity, and I really have no choice in the matter.
I take some inspiration for following this dream of mine from the late Julian Schwinger, who shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics with Feynman and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Schwinger didn't agree with the mainstream of field theorists who followed the path blazed by Feynman, and he wrote his own set of books about quantum theory called Particles, Sources, and Fields, which also was published in three volumes, prior to Weinberg's 3-volume set. As an epigraph at the beginning of each of the three volumes, Schwinger says, "If you can't join 'em, beat 'em." In the spirit of the early 1970s, when Schwinger's book was first published, I say, "Right on, Julian!" Schwinger's biggest disagreement with the mainstream theorists, as I understand it, was his disbelief in virtual particles, and I'm of the same mind as he was in that regard. Nevertheless, next time I will post with the intention of praising virtual particles, not burying them.
