Challenging particle physics as path to truth

Particle physicist's ultimate goal is 'grand unification' - describing the four forces observed today - electromagnetism, weak and strong nuclear forces and gravity with just a single law, expressable as a few concise equations. But some solid state physicists are now contesting the validity of this approach, arguing that many forms of matter cannot be described solely in terms of fundamental particle interactions - when systems are very complex, new and independent laws emerge. They propose that there is no one theory of everything, just a lot of theories of things.