Let me organize my thoughts in terms of four slogans, each of which is aimed at sowing doubt about one of the myths supporting the unique value of elementary particle physics.
1. The first slide in many general talks given by my colleagues in high-energy physics is a length scale spreading from the "Planck length" (way below elementary particle size) to the size of the cosmos. They gesture deprecatingly toward the center of this scale (where we and our atoms and all of everyday life sit) and say, "Of course, we know everything there, and the only fundamental science is at extreme scales." Well, we don't know everything there. We haven't the foggiest idea what drives the new high-temperature superconductors, or what makes a snowflake, or how the mind or the economy works. What is more, nothing high energy physics can do will ever be of the slightest direct help ...
