Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

• The 300-Year-Old Physics Mistake No One Noticed

  As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Professor John Norton has spent decades dismantling the hidden assumptions in physics from Newton’s determinism to the myth of Landauer’s Principle. In this episode, he explains why causation may not be real, how classical physics breaks down, and why even Einstein got some things wrong. If you’re ready to rethink the foundations of science, this one’s essential. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:37 Norton's Dome Explained 06:30 The Misunderstanding of Determinism 09:31 Thermodynamics and Infinite Systems 14:39 Implications for Quantum Mechanics 16:20 Revisiting Causation 18:15 Critique of Causal Metaphysics 20:21 The Utility of Causal Language 24:58 Exploring Thought Experiments 33:05 Landauer's Principle Discussion 49:48 Critique of Experimental Validation 52:25 Consequences for Maxwell's Demon 1:13:34 Einstein's Critiques of Quantum Mechanics 1:28:16 The Nature of Scientific Discovery 1:42:56 Inductive Inferences in Science Links Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠A Primer on Determinism (book): https://amzn.to/45Jn3b4 •⁠ ⁠John Norton’s papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UDteMFoAAAAJ •⁠ ⁠Causation as Folk Science (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/003004.pdf •⁠ ⁠Lipschitz continuity (wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipschitz_continuity •⁠ ⁠The Dome: An Unexpectedly Simple Failure of Determinism (paper): https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/2943/1/Norton.pdf •⁠ ⁠Norton’s Dome (wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton%27s_dome •⁠ ⁠Approximation and Idealization (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Ideal_Approx_final.pdf •⁠ ⁠On the Quantum Theory of Radiation (paper): https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/einstein/1917_Radiation.pdf •⁠ ⁠Making Things Happen (book): https://ccc.inaoep.mx/~esucar/Clases-mgc/Making-Things-Happen-A-Theory-of-Causal-Explanation.pdf •⁠ ⁠Causation in Physics (wiki): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/ •⁠ ⁠Laboratory of the Mind (paper): https://www.academia.edu/2644953/REVIEW_James_R_Brown_Laboratory_of_the_Mind •⁠ ⁠Roger Penrose on TOE: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU •⁠ ⁠Ted Jacobson on TOE: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8 •⁠ ⁠The Thermodynamics of Computation (paper): https://sites.cc.gatech.edu/computing/nano/documents/Bennett%20-%20The%20Thermodynamics%20Of%20Computation.pdf •⁠ ⁠What’s Actually Possible? (article): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/the-unexamined-in-principle •⁠ ⁠On a Decrease of Entropy in a Thermodynamic System (paper): https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/862.22/notes/computation/Szilard-1929.pdf •⁠ ⁠Landauer’s principle and thermodynamics (article): https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10872 •⁠ ⁠The Logical Inconsistency of Old Quantum Theory of Black Body Radiation (paper): https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/papers/Inconsistency_OQT.pdf SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  1:55:13
• Top Physicists Call Out Many Worlds As Nonsense | Jacob Barandes Λ Emily Adlam

  Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at https://DrinkLMNT.com/THEORIES Top physicists Emily Adlam and Jacob Barandes deliver a powerful takedown of the Many Worlds Interpretation. In this episode, they expose why it’s more philosophical fantasy than scientific theory, revealing its lack of testability, predictive power, and real-world grounding. If you’ve ever questioned whether parallel universes are legitimate physics or just sci-fi masquerading as science, this conversation will challenge everything. As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Watch on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:08 Philosophical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics 3:22 The Nature of Self-Identity 10:59 Exploring Branching Universes 12:54 Collaboration Between Physicists and Philosophers 16:51 Understanding Probability and Credence 29:12 The Role of Indexicals in Consciousness 36:36 Causation and Its Implications 45:45 Disagreement on Personal Identity 51:03 The Hard Problem of Consciousness 1:00:35 Reflections on Conscious Experience 1:08:05 Concluding Thoughts on Mind and Identity 1:08:48 Time and Mind 1:09:09 The Concept of the World Line 1:14:43 Active Consciousness and Agency 1:19:12 The Hard Problem of Consciousness 1:36:15 Emergence in Physics 1:55:46 Speculation vs. Rigorous Argument 2:06:13 Philosophy's Contribution to Physics 2:12:43 Bridging Philosophy and Physics Links Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠Emily’s first appearance on TOE: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs •⁠ ⁠Emily’s profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emily-Adlam •⁠ ⁠Jacob’s first appearance on TOE: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo •⁠ ⁠Jacob’s website: https://www.jacobbarandes.com/ •⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://youtu.be/YaS1usLeXQM •⁠ ⁠Against Self-Location (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2409.05259 •⁠ ⁠Eddy Chen & Barry Loewer on TOE: https://youtu.be/xZnafO__IZ0 •⁠ ⁠Julian Barbour on TOE: https://youtu.be/bprxrGaf0Os •⁠ ⁠Robert Sapolsky on TOE: https://youtu.be/z0IqA1hYKY8 •⁠ ⁠Curt’s Consciousness Iceberg: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk •⁠ ⁠Iain McGilchrist on TOE: https://youtu.be/Q9sBKCd2HD0 •⁠ ⁠Stories of Your Life and Others (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101972122 •⁠ ⁠Matt Segall on TOE: https://youtu.be/DeTm4fSXpbM •⁠ ⁠TOE’s Free Will compilation: https://youtu.be/SSbUCEleJhg •⁠ ⁠Manolis Kellis & Jacob Barandes debate: https://youtu.be/MTD8xkbiGis •⁠ ⁠“The Incompatibility of Free Will and Determinism” (paper): https://iweb.langara.ca/rjohns/files/2013/01/van_inwagen.pdf •⁠ ⁠After Physics (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/067497087X •⁠ ⁠Michael Levin on TOE: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  2:22:22
• The God Crutch: Do The Laws of Physics Exist?

  As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Are the laws of physics governing forces or elegant summaries? In this deep and often humorous debate, Barry Loewer of Rutgers and Eddy Chen of UC San Diego clash over the very nature of physical reality. Are the laws of nature real, mind independent constraints that shape what’s possible or are they human made descriptions of observed patterns? Together they explore metaphysics, causation, probability, and whether the universe is truly ruled by anything at all. A must watch for anyone questioning the foundations of science itself. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 The Nature of Physical Reality 42:28 The Circularity of Scientific Understanding 1:05:44 Reality Explored 1:08:28 Describing Human Experience 1:10:10 The Role of Science 1:10:58 Understanding Motion and Laws 1:12:19 The Nature of Laws 1:14:55 Possible Worlds in Philosophy 1:18:05 Configuration Space Debate 1:21:10 Quantum Mechanics and Reality 1:22:50 Metaphysical Necessity 1:27:13 The Nature of Free Will 1:30:14 Bridging Philosophy and Science 1:32:05 Constraints and Freedom 1:34:57 Philosophical Disputes 1:39:08 The Journey of Learning 2:05:16 Teaching and Learning Dynamics 2:07:23 Closing Reflections Links Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠Barry’s published papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=n_RTOwO00oEC&hl=en •⁠ ⁠Eddy’s published papers: https://arxiv.org/a/chen_e_1.html •⁠ ⁠Neil Turok on TOE: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE •⁠ ⁠Greg Chaitin on TOE: https://youtu.be/zMPnrNL3zsE •⁠ ⁠Leonard Susskind on TOE: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok •⁠ ⁠Emily Adlam on TOE: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs •⁠ ⁠Laws of Nature and Chances (book): https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Nature-Chances-Breathes-Equations/dp/0198907699 •⁠ ⁠Laws of Physics (book): https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Physics-Elements-Philosophy/dp/100901272X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CHA72RYFUOI8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OjkhTXRzZw_SWTMFZp8dUtREsTxacKuwg03AsLUUp6qLCuygS74CtEgujWl7wMvVEt-ErFEz-CfFLiiXTmuUCwKq0TW4WLFIA3DIhDNVaV4.gRuqaZldjUa8Kv_j1ew-CfZGQqtdt00X55fyMZ9NGD4&dib_tag=se&keywords=eddy+chen&qid=1749667626&s=books&sprefix=eddy+chen%2Cstripbooks%2C128&sr=1-1 •⁠ ⁠On the Plurality of Worlds (book): https://www.amazon.com/Plurality-Worlds-David-K-Lewis/dp/0631224262 •⁠ ⁠Tim Maudlin on TOE: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss •⁠ ⁠Tim Maudlin and Tim Palmer on TOE: https://youtu.be/883R3JlZHXE •⁠ ⁠How Physics Makes Us Free (book): https://www.amazon.com/How-Physics-Makes-Us-Free/dp/0190269448 •⁠ ⁠From Time Asymmetry to Quantum Entanglement (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.05029 •⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://youtu.be/7oWip00iXbo •⁠ ⁠Realism with a Human Face (book): https://www.amazon.com/Realism-Human-Face-Hilary-Putnam/dp/0674749456 •⁠ ⁠Causation and Laws of Nature in Early Modern Philosophy (book): https://www.amazon.com/Causation-Nature-Early-Modern-Philosophy/dp/0199664684/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 •⁠ ⁠The Maniac (book): https://www.amazon.com/MANIAC-Benjamin-Labatut/dp/0593654471 •⁠ ⁠When We Cease to Understand the World (book): https://www.amazon.com/When-We-Cease-Understand-World/dp/1681375664 •⁠ ⁠Eddy’s paper on time and nature: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.09226 SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  2:19:00
• The Theory That Shatters Language Itself

  As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Professor Elan Barenholtz, cognitive scientist at Florida Atlantic University, joins TOE to discuss one of the most unsettling ideas in cognitive science: that language is a self-contained, autoregressive system with no inherent connection to the external world. In this mind-altering episode, he explains why AI’s mastery of language without meaning forces us to rethink the nature of mind, perception, and reality itself... Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 The Mind and Language Connection 02:09 The Grounded Thesis of Language 09:29 The Epiphany of Language 13:06 The Dichotomy of Language and Perception 16:24 Language as an Autonomous System 19:48 The Problem of Qualia and Language 23:35 Bridging Language and Action 31:32 Exploring Embeddings in Language 38:21 The Platonic Space of Language 44:17 The Challenges of Meaning and Action 51:05 Understanding the Complexity of Color 52:53 The Paradox of Language Describing Itself 58:19 The Map of Language and Action 1:07:48 Continuous Learning in Language Models 1:11:46 The Nature of Memory 1:22:46 The Role of Context 1:32:18 Exploring Language Dynamics 1:39:44 The Shift from Oral to Written Language 2:11:34 Language and the Cosmic Whole 2:21:35 Reflections on Existence Links Mentioned: •⁠ ⁠Elan’s Substack: https://elanbarenholtz.substack.com •⁠ Elan's X / Twitter: https://x.com/ebarenholtz •⁠ ⁠Geoffrey Hinton on TOE: https://youtu.be/b_DUft-BdIE •⁠ ⁠Joscha Bach and Ben Goertzel on TOE: https://youtu.be/xw7omaQ8SgA •⁠ ⁠Elan’s published papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2grAjZsAAAAJ •⁠ ⁠Ai medical panel on TOE: https://youtu.be/abzXzPBW4_s •⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes and Manolis Kellis on TOE: https://youtu.be/MTD8xkbiGis •⁠ ⁠Will Hahn on TOE: https://youtu.be/3fkg0uTA3qU •⁠ ⁠Noam Chomsky on TOE: https://youtu.be/DQuiso493ro •⁠ ⁠Greg Kondrak on TOE: https://youtu.be/FFW14zSYiFY •⁠ ⁠Andres Emilsson on TOE: https://youtu.be/BBP8WZpYp0Y •⁠ ⁠Harnessing the Universal Geometry of Embeddings (paper): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2505.12540 •⁠ ⁠Yang-Hui He on TOE: https://youtu.be/spIquD_mBFk •⁠ ⁠Iain McGilchrist on TOE: https://youtu.be/Q9sBKCd2HD0 •⁠ ⁠Curt interviews ChatGPT: https://youtu.be/mSfChbMRJwY •⁠ ⁠Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0674251555 •⁠ ⁠Karl Friston on TOE: https://youtu.be/uk4NZorRjCo •⁠ ⁠Michael Levin and Anna Ciaunica on TOE: https://youtu.be/2aLhkm6QUgA •⁠ ⁠The Biology of LLMs (paper): https://transformer-circuits.pub/2025/attribution-graphs/biology.html •⁠ ⁠Jacob Barandes on TOE: https://youtu.be/YaS1usLeXQM •⁠ ⁠Emily Adlam on TOE: https://youtu.be/6I2OhmVWLMs •⁠ ⁠Julian Barbour on TOE: https://youtu.be/bprxrGaf0Os •⁠ ⁠Tim Palmer on TOE: https://youtu.be/vlklA6jsS8A •⁠ ⁠Neil Turok on TOE: https://youtu.be/ZUp9x44N3uE •⁠ ⁠Jayarāśi Bhaṭṭa: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/jayaraasi/ •⁠ ⁠On the Origin of Time (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593128443 SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  2:32:19
• What is “Energy,” Actually?

  Veritasium pointed out that energy isn't conserved, but here I argue something further: energy is not even well-defined! Get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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