Physics seeks to model the entire observed physical universe. Mathematical physics, however, can only model what can be quantified. A key feature of the physical universe, the observed Arrow of Time, cannot be quantified. Mathematical physics therefore cannot model the Arrow of Time. As a consequence, a theory of mathematical physics is only ever a Theory of Something – never a Theory of Everything in the broadest sense, since it cannot model the observed Arrow of Time. This means that a single unified theory that models the entire observed physical universe cannot be a theory of mathematical physics. Instead, if it exists, it must be a more general theory of qualitative physics.
Spencer Scoular