The Hierarchy Problem

I don't know whether there is a "hierarchy problem" in contemporary subatomic physics or not. There seems to be some debate over whether the hierarchy issue is a problem. Let us call it the meta-hierarchy problem.

The idea, though, is that the Higgs boson is very very small. Too small, some think, to be expected to do the job that theory assigns to it, that is, to explain why particles have mass.

The point? Physicists believe that there should be some intermediary structuring, stuff larger than the Higgs boson, but smaller than Planck's constant.

Is this really a problem, then? Depend on to whom you listen. Some believe they are only pretending there is a problem so as to get the money for another supercollider, which they are pitching as the way to fill in the hierarchical blanks.

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Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

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