Carlo Rovelli says fundamental physics is overrated

Physicist Carlo Rovelli says fundamental physics is overrated, according to an interview published by Nature on 09 November 2026 about his book On the Equality of All Things: Physics and Philosophy.

Rovelli's view on fundamental physics

Rovelli, whose research focuses on quantum theories of gravity, told Nature that physics is a "fabulous enterprise" but that the world is more complicated than just a fundamental equation. He said high-energy physics, particle physics and quantum gravity are great science, but should not be seen as the root of everything else.

"I think physics is a fabulous enterprise, but the world is more complicated than just a fundamental equation. It is genuinely complex, which means that understanding the basic rules doesn’t tell us much about understanding the phenomena that we are interested in," Rovelli said.

Hubris in physics

Rovelli said he thinks the field of physics suffers from hubris. He cited theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking saying "philosophy is dead now" as an example of physicists overselling the field, which he said created a colossal push against science.

"Yes, I think it does. I don’t think it is a particularly serious sin, but it has created problems for physics. Physicists have oversold the field, sometimes with good motivation," Rovelli said.

He also said a lot of the physics literature and some experimental efforts are wasted, pointing to supersymmetry as an example where the community was almost certain a class of phenomena existed, only to have it shown empirically that it does not exist.

Perspectivalism and quantum mechanics

Rovelli said perspectivalism does not mean subjectivity, and that any account of reality needs a perspective but not necessarily a human one. He said velocity is relative, giving the example of the Moon having one velocity with respect to Earth and a different velocity with respect to the Sun.

On quantum mechanics, Rovelli said the theory works well but is still confusing. He said one alternative view is that quantum mechanics tells us not to ask what is really, really going on, because that is a bad question. He said one way to convince him his interpretation is wrong would be to make an experiment that contradicts quantum mechanics.

Why it matters

Rovelli's comments challenge the idea that fundamental physics provides the ultimate description of reality and call for more humility in science.

---

Sources

• nature.com: Carlo Rovelli says fundamental physics is overrated | Nature

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.