The Standard Model is perhaps as good as it gets at this time, with regard to just how much our human minds can conceive about our physical world; but I am convinced that so much is yet unlearned, that the Standard Model of today will one day be a mere (and perhaps even considered childish?) memory in our perpetual search to understand ourselves and our surroundings.
Therefore, I am choosing to support the “No” side of this debate; since I do not think we can even define a “best model” for something as dynamic as the Standard Model. I believe there are “theories”, and “suppositions”, and even “intelligently calculated posits”; but every day we learn something new, and every day we are forced to tweak our theories, suppositions and posits. Thus, the ever-growing, ever-focusing, ever-learning human mind (though limited) makes adjustments to any model in existence; and such is the substance of evolution through intelligent design, as I see it. The more we learn, the more we are given to learn; and clearly, we will never know it all.
If we look back in time, we can readily see how many so-called “Standard Models” for our physical world have come and gone; or perhaps I should say have been modified, or updated, as relating to our physical world. And, I am sure that is quite expected, given that we truly do not yet know all there is to know about our physical world; nor will we ever, I’m guessing.
The true Standard Model of particle physics is a theory (or supposition, or posit?) of three of the four known (keyword-what of the unknown?) fundamental interactions and the elementary particles that take part in these interactions. These particles make up all visible (keyword-what of the invisible, unknown?) matter in the universe.
Perhaps a few hundred years ago, the best that the science of the day could come up with was something a bit less flowery, and likely the theories, suppositions and posits of that day were not laced with words like Z Bosons, and electroweak, and quantum field theory, and fermions; that much I think it is safe to say. But, at that time, folks would very likely have accepted whatever the best brains of the day had to say about it all; and how else can it be?
So, it is not hard to imagine the Standard Model, as we understand it today, will undoubtedly be modified and adjusted again and again, going forward. As we learn more about the cosmos; black holes, galaxies, nebulae, stars, planets, even extraterrestrial life; we will be forced to rethink and re-state our Standard Model for our physical world. After all, our physical world is only that which our physical senses can perceive; and that which our simple brains can attempt to interpret and explain; and that which our passion to learn as much as we can possibly learn about will continually force us to redefine our Standard Model of our physical world.
Thus; I say: No! The Standard Model is NOT the “best model” of our physical world. Not yet! The Standard Model is a “work in progress”. We will continue to learn, and to rewrite the Standard Model as long as we continue to exist as a valid species on this planet (or any planet).
