Dear Mainstream Media: Particles and gods are two different things
Am I the only one who cringes every time I read articles describing the Higgs Boson as the "God particle"? In the first place, even as a metaphor or an analogy, the term is completely inaccurate.
Secondly, calling it a God particle completely misrepresents why the discovery of the Higgs boson is important. Simply put, most mainstream physicists don't have much in the way of doubt that the particle will be found because if it isn't, it will cast doubt on the accuracy of a large amount of the work that's been done in modern physics.
It's especially irksome that most of these kinds of articles don't even make an attempt to explain what the Higgs boson is or why it's important. They just casually call it a God particle as if that itself is some kind of explanation. Little wonder that so many Americans are so reliant on ancient superstitions and fairy tales while being ignorant of what science has found about how the universe really works.
Secondly, calling it a God particle completely misrepresents why the discovery of the Higgs boson is important. Simply put, most mainstream physicists don't have much in the way of doubt that the particle will be found because if it isn't, it will cast doubt on the accuracy of a large amount of the work that's been done in modern physics.
It's especially irksome that most of these kinds of articles don't even make an attempt to explain what the Higgs boson is or why it's important. They just casually call it a God particle as if that itself is some kind of explanation. Little wonder that so many Americans are so reliant on ancient superstitions and fairy tales while being ignorant of what science has found about how the universe really works.