Interesting thread, I'm also a systems architect, BS in Civil Engineering and MS in CompSci. I have a reasonable grounding in higher math and a few physics courses under my belt. But I'm lost in most of this discussion, particularly the more technically dense posts. I agree with both Eigenvector and PhysicsGirl: Physics is leaving most of us behind AND you're not going to explain any of this to people who believe Adam and Eve kept pet dinosaurs.

I'm willing to fund the research; however. just because I don't understand it doesn't mean it's without merit. I'd far rather fund high energy particle research than most of the utter trash our tax dollars are wasted on. I think it's worth it just from the standpoint of knowledge for knowledge's sake. We are a curious species, and we don't have a clue what we'll do with this knowledge in the future. I doubt Newton anticipated the Saturn 5 rocket.

I'd like to see someone explain this is a way I can at least partially understand. But I wouldn't count on anyone writing a book that can really explain it to the mythical educated layman. If we hold science to that impossible standard then we'll never fund anything. Three of the declared Republican presidential candidates don't believe in evolution, for Christ's sake. How can you explain anything to those people? If it conflicts with whatever fairy-tale they base their lives on they just shut down. Though I'd imagine most of them are already running on reactors with most of the control rods already in, so shutting down isn't much of an effort.