TL;DR
This paper examines how elegance and simplicity influence the formulation and evaluation of physical models, using Supergravity as a case study to explore their role in achieving truthful, observationally verified descriptions of nature.
Contribution
It provides a philosophical and practical analysis of the importance of elegance in physical theories, exemplified through Supergravity.
Findings
Elegance aids in developing physically meaningful models.
Supergravity serves as a test case for the role of simplicity.
The study highlights the balance between truth and aesthetic criteria.
Abstract
I use Supergravity as a test case to study the role and uses of elegance/simplicity in formulating and evaluating physical models, whose sole criterion is of course truth: an observationally verified description of Nature within a certain range of scales.
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