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well written physics



"Spacetime, Geometry, Cosmology" by the late Bill Burke contains
the following quote in its prefatory Study Guide. It articulates
and dramatizes what, to me, is the golden rule of science:

The goal of abstraction is to find common structure in
different concrete situations, and then to discuss this
structure independently of the specific situations. Done
properly, this increases one's knowledge by pooling
information from diverse situations. But be careful.
Excessive abstraction is a very common error. Keep the
references to concrete instances in mind, but do not
give the abstract structures an existence of their own.
Treating ideas as things (reification), done to excess
in politics and religion, has no doubt murdered more
people than any other cognitive error.

-Bill Burke