Renormalization, Phase Transitions, and Criticality: How Physics Grounds Liberal Democracy
This is a meme I can get behind. What will *your* Liberal Currents article be about, Bluesky Poster?
Eventually every prominent Bluesky poster will have one absolutely phenomenal article in Liberal Currents and I can’t wait to read them all
June 11, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Renormalization, Phase Transitions, and Criticality: How Physics Grounds Liberal Democracy
someone figured out a way to introduce infinite and infinitessimal terms into "shut up and multiply" utilitarianism and nobody invented renormalization
Seriously what the fuck happened here? Because it seems like the basic thought process was:
1.) Africans should have mosquito nets
2.) But what if robots kill us all?
3.) On second thought, fuck Africa
1.) Africans should have mosquito nets
2.) But what if robots kill us all?
3.) On second thought, fuck Africa
i think "an effective altruist is personally denying twenty million people their HIV medications despite a court order telling him to send the money" is a pretty good summary of effective altruism as a real world philosophy
February 25, 2025 at 11:11 PM
someone figured out a way to introduce infinite and infinitessimal terms into "shut up and multiply" utilitarianism and nobody invented renormalization
𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Wait, that works with simple systems in physics where small scale signals ("details") average out. But how about more "interesting" complex systems?
New approaches are breaking ground there. Great review paper.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Wait, that works with simple systems in physics where small scale signals ("details") average out. But how about more "interesting" complex systems?
New approaches are breaking ground there. Great review paper.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Network renormalization - Nature Reviews Physics
The renormalization group (RG) is a theoretical framework to transform systems across scales and identify critical points of phase transitions. In recent years, efforts have extended RG to complex net...
www.nature.com
April 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Wait, that works with simple systems in physics where small scale signals ("details") average out. But how about more "interesting" complex systems?
New approaches are breaking ground there. Great review paper.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Wait, that works with simple systems in physics where small scale signals ("details") average out. But how about more "interesting" complex systems?
New approaches are breaking ground there. Great review paper.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
we specifically *want* people to hold the simultaneous positions that genocide and antisemitism are bad in a world where mass civilian death and antisemitism are both experiencing a shocking renormalization
They are trying to frame this as a contradiction but it's totally consistent. Genocide is bad and so is antisemitism! This entire line of attack on Mamdani requires pretending to have the mind of a child
March 24, 2026 at 3:46 PM
we specifically *want* people to hold the simultaneous positions that genocide and antisemitism are bad in a world where mass civilian death and antisemitism are both experiencing a shocking renormalization
Network renormalization www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Network renormalization - Nature Reviews Physics
The renormalization group (RG) is a theoretical framework to transform systems across scales and identify critical points of phase transitions. In recent years, efforts have extended RG to complex net...
www.nature.com
March 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Network renormalization www.nature.com/articles/s42...
AI is a renormalization scheme that coarse-grains the world in a particular way. It’s being deployed to help concentrate power in the hands of a few. Great piece by @himself.bsky.social and @cshalizi.bsky.social.
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...
AI as Social Technology
knightcolumbia.org
May 12, 2026 at 1:19 PM
AI is a renormalization scheme that coarse-grains the world in a particular way. It’s being deployed to help concentrate power in the hands of a few. Great piece by @himself.bsky.social and @cshalizi.bsky.social.
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...
But it was Weisskopf’s early calculations and conjectures about renormalization, at a time when critics were wary, that put physicists on the path to our modern understanding of quantum field theory.
September 19, 2026 at 8:20 PM
But it was Weisskopf’s early calculations and conjectures about renormalization, at a time when critics were wary, that put physicists on the path to our modern understanding of quantum field theory.
even the fancy butter is cheaper than the cheap olive oil... the gourmand's eye view of global logistical renormalization
March 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
even the fancy butter is cheaper than the cheap olive oil... the gourmand's eye view of global logistical renormalization
Mathematicians recently made renormalization, a method that originated in particle physics, rigorous enough to help prove a famous conjecture about turbulence. www.quantamagazine.org/new-superdif...
May 22, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Mathematicians recently made renormalization, a method that originated in particle physics, rigorous enough to help prove a famous conjecture about turbulence. www.quantamagazine.org/new-superdif...
Renormalization is “the mathematical version of a microscope,” said Astrid Eichorn, a physicist at the University of Southern Denmark. Here’s how it works: www.quantamagazine.org/how-renormal...
November 22, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Renormalization is “the mathematical version of a microscope,” said Astrid Eichorn, a physicist at the University of Southern Denmark. Here’s how it works: www.quantamagazine.org/how-renormal...
📣 "Higher-order Laplacian renormalization" finally out in Nat. Phys.!
Well done Marco and @martasolves.bsky.social for leading this one! 👏 Thanks to the great team with Francesco, Tommaso, and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
rdcu.be/ea16y
Well done Marco and @martasolves.bsky.social for leading this one! 👏 Thanks to the great team with Francesco, Tommaso, and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
rdcu.be/ea16y
February 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
📣 "Higher-order Laplacian renormalization" finally out in Nat. Phys.!
Well done Marco and @martasolves.bsky.social for leading this one! 👏 Thanks to the great team with Francesco, Tommaso, and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
rdcu.be/ea16y
Well done Marco and @martasolves.bsky.social for leading this one! 👏 Thanks to the great team with Francesco, Tommaso, and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
rdcu.be/ea16y
The Austrian physicist Victor Weisskopf was born #OTD in 1908. He helped shape quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, establishing results that set the stage for Quantum Electrodynamics and the modern understanding of renormalization in QFT. 🧪 ⚛️
Image: Duscha Scott Weisskopf / Physics Today
Image: Duscha Scott Weisskopf / Physics Today
September 19, 2026 at 8:07 PM
The Austrian physicist Victor Weisskopf was born #OTD in 1908. He helped shape quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, establishing results that set the stage for Quantum Electrodynamics and the modern understanding of renormalization in QFT. 🧪 ⚛️
Image: Duscha Scott Weisskopf / Physics Today
Image: Duscha Scott Weisskopf / Physics Today
Modern physics thinks about quantum field theories as trajectories between two fixed points in the space of coupling constants, with motion defined by the renormalization group. The trajectory of the Standard Model seems fine-tuned from our perspective.
The hierarchy problem (finetuning) of the Standard Model of particle physics is often presented as the question 'why the weak scale is so much smaller than the Planck scale'
But there is also a geometric interpretation that can be understood with little maths (but a lot of physics)
🧵1/11
But there is also a geometric interpretation that can be understood with little maths (but a lot of physics)
🧵1/11
October 26, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Modern physics thinks about quantum field theories as trajectories between two fixed points in the space of coupling constants, with motion defined by the renormalization group. The trajectory of the Standard Model seems fine-tuned from our perspective.
Renormalization of IQ means that a person who scored 100 in the early 1900s would score ~75 today. This tells you a great deal about what IQ actually measures.
May 28, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Renormalization of IQ means that a person who scored 100 in the early 1900s would score ~75 today. This tells you a great deal about what IQ actually measures.
I do apologize that it's taking so long for Book 3 of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe to come out -- look for it early 2027. People who read the whole series will certainly know much more about the renormalization group than most popular-physics aficionados.
June 23, 2026 at 7:15 AM
I do apologize that it's taking so long for Book 3 of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe to come out -- look for it early 2027. People who read the whole series will certainly know much more about the renormalization group than most popular-physics aficionados.
March 2, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I had the honor to work with amazing researchers and human beings. This is what came out. Hope you'll like it. 💃
Marco Nurisso, @maximelca.bsky.social, Francesco Vaccarino, Tommaso GIli and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Marco Nurisso, @maximelca.bsky.social, Francesco Vaccarino, Tommaso GIli and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Higher-order Laplacian renormalization - Nature Physics
The renormalization group is a powerful tool to study the universal properties of physical systems. A diffusion-based renormalization scheme now enables the study of scale invariance and universality ...
www.nature.com
February 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
I had the honor to work with amazing researchers and human beings. This is what came out. Hope you'll like it. 💃
Marco Nurisso, @maximelca.bsky.social, Francesco Vaccarino, Tommaso GIli and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Marco Nurisso, @maximelca.bsky.social, Francesco Vaccarino, Tommaso GIli and @lordgrilo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
the renormalization group flow in the Era of the Infinite Scroll is intolerable
May 2, 2026 at 4:24 PM
the renormalization group flow in the Era of the Infinite Scroll is intolerable
Higher-order Laplacian renormalization www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Higher-order Laplacian renormalization - Nature Physics
The renormalization group is a powerful tool to study the universal properties of physical systems. A diffusion-based renormalization scheme now enables the study of scale invariance and universality ...
www.nature.com
February 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Higher-order Laplacian renormalization www.nature.com/articles/s41...
𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑰𝒁𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑷 𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑺𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵.
The existence of a fixed point of the renormalization group transformation, ensures that a finite theory results from the procedure of renormalization, which entails taking the cutoff to infinity.
The renormalization theory leads to novel concepts,
10/
The existence of a fixed point of the renormalization group transformation, ensures that a finite theory results from the procedure of renormalization, which entails taking the cutoff to infinity.
The renormalization theory leads to novel concepts,
10/
March 21, 2025 at 2:06 PM
𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑰𝒁𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑷 𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑺𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵.
The existence of a fixed point of the renormalization group transformation, ensures that a finite theory results from the procedure of renormalization, which entails taking the cutoff to infinity.
The renormalization theory leads to novel concepts,
10/
The existence of a fixed point of the renormalization group transformation, ensures that a finite theory results from the procedure of renormalization, which entails taking the cutoff to infinity.
The renormalization theory leads to novel concepts,
10/
I'm kinda surprised he's not embargoing Vietnam. Relations renormalization was another Clinton-era Republican grievance. Maybe he just didn't care about that one because it was about (fake) unreturned POWs and he couldn't care less about POWs.
April 10, 2025 at 5:07 PM
I'm kinda surprised he's not embargoing Vietnam. Relations renormalization was another Clinton-era Republican grievance. Maybe he just didn't care about that one because it was about (fake) unreturned POWs and he couldn't care less about POWs.
What is the origin of universality in complex systems? This 1979 paper by Ken Wilson in @sciam.bsky.social
explains the Renormalization Group, one of the most powerful ideas in physics. Used to study everything from magnets and liquids to ecosystems and societies.
jstor.org/stable/24965...
explains the Renormalization Group, one of the most powerful ideas in physics. Used to study everything from magnets and liquids to ecosystems and societies.
jstor.org/stable/24965...
December 7, 2024 at 11:55 AM
What is the origin of universality in complex systems? This 1979 paper by Ken Wilson in @sciam.bsky.social
explains the Renormalization Group, one of the most powerful ideas in physics. Used to study everything from magnets and liquids to ecosystems and societies.
jstor.org/stable/24965...
explains the Renormalization Group, one of the most powerful ideas in physics. Used to study everything from magnets and liquids to ecosystems and societies.
jstor.org/stable/24965...
New online today: ($)
A diffusion-based RG scheme enables the study of scale invariance and universality in higher-order complex networks.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A diffusion-based RG scheme enables the study of scale invariance and universality in higher-order complex networks.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Higher-order Laplacian renormalization - Nature Physics
The renormalization group is a powerful tool to study the universal properties of physical systems. A diffusion-based renormalization scheme now enables the study of scale invariance and universality ...
www.nature.com
February 24, 2025 at 2:25 PM
New online today: ($)
A diffusion-based RG scheme enables the study of scale invariance and universality in higher-order complex networks.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A diffusion-based RG scheme enables the study of scale invariance and universality in higher-order complex networks.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...